Adas Reborn
by Shahismael
Summary: Based on The Galactic War challenge by Belgrath on DZ2's forums. During the Battle at the Department of Mysteries, Harry Potter is sent to the Star Wars universe. Arriving two years before Attack of the Clones, this is Harry's story as he grows through the Clone Wars and his return home. An eventual H/Hr, it will develop after harry's return. Not sure which genres to call this one.
1. Candle in the Darkness

**AN: Just so everyone is aware, I own nothing in this story bar most of the plot, an ancient Sith Lord and the expense of my own time. Everything else belongs to Disney and Rowling. I wish they belonged to me, but I am definitely not alone in that desire.**

 **Please Enjoy,**

 **Chapter 1 – Candle in the Darkness**

Harry stopped for a moment, why not, it was too useful to have and too dangerous for the Death Eaters to acquire.

He motioned to the others to advance towards the door to the next room and accio'd two timeturners from the shelves. Hermione frowned at that but raised an eyebrow in surprise as he passed one across to her.

"For luck," he whispered, wrapping her fingers around the device before raising her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles, "we'll talk later."

Her shocked expression and blush were rather a cute combination he thought, but business before pleasure, they needed to rescue Sirius.

He looked to the others, and frowned for a moment. A quick silencing charm towards the shelf followed by a bombarda removed the threat for the moment. The other four hadn't noticed yet and harry raised a finger to his lips to signal quiet on the matter from Hermione, she stopped from exploding at their destruction, frowning once more, but nodded.

He knew he would need to placate her later with something good, otherwise she'd flay him for the damage he'd just done.

Pushing through the group he led the move into the next chamber motioning for quiet as they went.

The glow from the silver orbs around them told him he was very close.

* * *

Harry saw her aiming the spell, the words and intent forming, the energies spilling from her through her wand , a glow beginning at the wands tip.

In that moment Harry moved as quickly as he could to save his godfather, anger at Sirius' slip of the tongue burning in him, his magic almost reaching out to nudge Sirius away from the spell. With a strange tugging sensation in his chest he felt his magic pour across the chamber. Harry flickered for a moment, suddenly next to Sirius, a blast of energy from his palm, knocking him away.

Bellatrix's spell smashing into his chest and he staggered from the impact, the timeturner under his shirt smoking and broken, golden sand poured down and caught in his clothing, forced into his skin with fragments of the device. Faint misty limbs reached out and grabbed onto him with immense strength, lifting him through the archway, runes began to light up on its surface as death fought prophecy.

Bellatrix Lestrange, known to many as Voldemort's Right Hand looked upon the power unleashed in awe and terror. Her master was going to annihilate her for this. She quickly turned and fled, hysterical laughter bubbling free as she ran, tears falling from her terror induced panic.

Harry twisted trying to break free and could only watch anguished spread over both Remus and Sirius' faces as realisation set in, just on the edge of his vision he saw Neville standing over Hermione, guarding her from any threat, looking anywhere but at the arch.

Harry expected pain, a tearing sensation, the feeling of his atoms being ripped and torn apart. Instead it felt like falling into a cold pool, rather similar to the sensation as he entered the Black Lake for the second task.

Death demanded its prize, prophecy tried shielding its agent, the struggle frantic and weak.

Peace filled him and his thoughts began to drift, this wasn't so bad, it was finally over, he could rest now. No more Voldemort or Dursley's. No more hate and vitriol, no more hero worship.

Then time entered the fray, death has no claim on time, when all else is gone, nothing will remain bar time. Death cannot exist without time. Deaths attempt to consume time forged a paradox, and if there is one thing time abhors, it is paradox. If time had claws it would have driven them into Harry and claimed him for its own, instead, reality shifted.

With no more weighing on him, drifting in that moment of peace, of freedom, it felt nice, was this how it felt to rest in your mother's arms? His mind drifted away and he felt…

Fear.

He had lived a very short time, he deserved more. What had he done to deserve such a fate. Hadn't he done what everyone else wanted?

Anger.

Hermione had been hurt, she was barely alive. Sirius had called him James before he fell. Why did everyone only see his parents, only one other saw him. The sheep of the Magical World turned on him at the slightest thing. He was going to tell her what he really felt.

Hate.

Voldemort stole his parents from him. Wormtail betrayed them. Snape tormented him for no reason beyond petty vengeance. Dumbledore kept him in the dark, you're not ready he kept saying. The Purebloods were twisted and blind to the dangers of the world around them.

Suffering.

It was starting to hurt now, but pain was an old companion to Harry. Life was pain. The greatest lesson the Dursleys and Voldemort had imparted upon him. The cold was starting to burn, his bones ached and muscles cramped as his nerves almost singing with the pain.

Then suddenly calm and nothing more.

* * *

He awoke in the predawn.

Water dripping upon his face from above.

It felt like he'd been hit repeatedly by bludgers having drunk an entire bottle of firewhiskey.

He rolled over and took a deep breath. Suddenly coughs wracked his frame at the sudden rush of humid air into his lungs. He sat up and looked around in awe.

It was like something from some Attenborough show his aunt watched. The jungle spread tall and strong around him, cold stone beneath, worn by time and water. A large shape covered in vines was before him. Something about it suggested Egypt or south America.

He clambered to his feet and looked around for his wand, "where is it?!"

He scrambled around on the ground in a panic. Just to one side he saw it, scorched but intact, the weight of it comforting in his hand. He quickly checked himself over, nothing missing or broken, all his fingers and toes were there, no missing nose, both eyes and ears as well as his most precious body part. Breathing a sigh of relief he began to take a proper look around. A glint of gold on the ground caught his attention.

He carefully knelt and lifted the chain with the broken remnants of the time turner blackened and twisted by an intense heat. A few grains of golden sand sat in the bottom chamber.

He bowed his head in shock, a hollow feeling filled him for a moment before his rage rushed to fill the void. He stuffed the fragments into a pocket and glared around looking for a clue as to where or when he was.

His sudden movement brought attention to a tight feeling in his chest, opening his shirt he saw a few fragments of the turner cut into him, a strange twin spiral of scar tissue, it looked really old, with a faint golden sheen as the light caught it. Removing the fragments he added them to the rest.

A fresh wind blew past him, a promise of rain to its scent, trees moved in its passing and he caught sight of a huge tower in the distance. He quickly began to move towards it, a tower suggested people, he had a better chance to learn what had happened there than just sitting here and moping, he'd done enough of that.

* * *

Count Dooku started from his meditations in his chambers, the meeting with San Hill had been draining but had resulted in a great tool for his masters goals. A sudden shift in the force had caught his attention, it was like a very faint bell had been struck on the edge of his hearing.

He stood and moved to his desk, the screen lighting up at his presence. He quickly scrolled through his messages but found nothing that would demand his attention. With a slight frown he brought up maps of the region and studied them.

After an hour he realised he kept coming back to the same map, a series of planets that had been removed from the Jedi archives. His master had mentioned one of them as holding a cult that held resources that may be of use to him at a later point.

Dromand Kass, ancient capital of a destroyed Sith Empire under Darth Vitiate. Currently home to the Prophets of the Dark Side. His master had begun to acquire their services but were not necessary to his current plans.

Something there called to him, the frown strengthened, he had not received a message from his master about it, perhaps it had fallen beneath his notice.

Perhaps this was a sign that his time was coming to take his masters place.

He pressed a button on his desk.

"My Lord?"

"Change our course, I am sending you the co-ordinates, inform the rest of the fleet to maintain their course we will meet them at Raxus Prime, proceed as planned."

"Yes my Lord."

The connection cut, Dooku sat back in his chair and pondered upon the forces guidance.

* * *

It had taken nearly 12 hours to reach the tower, he'd been lucky that another tower had collapsed and fallen partially into the structure he was aiming for. Otherwise he'd have had to make an immense climb down and then back up, the chasm had been impressive but very annoying.

Finally he made it to the tower and used cutting curses to make a hole in the vines. Within he found moss covering nearly every surface. After a few minutes of exploration he found a stairwell, the stairs still mostly intact. Thank Merlin he wasn't scared of heights, thus he began to climb, pacing himself as best he could.

After what seemed like centuries of trudging up and the strange markings on the walls, he found one of the upper spaces that appeared reasonably intact.

The door was still shut and the walls seemed intact. He would be well above the jungle here, plenty of views and safety from most predators. A good secure space to sleep would be a blessing.

He wondered once more how long it would take for anyone to find him, maybe he should have stayed where he was. No, they would find him if they could.

He forced the door open, straining against the rust and the weight of time, his wand seemed almost hot from the strain. He managed a whole foot before it refused to go any further. Snarling in anger he kicked the door and then carefully moved through the gap.

It looked like this had been someone's home.

The air was much dryer within, a thin layer of dust covered everything. Statues stood around the room, robed figures, many not human seemed to be standing vigilant over the hallway.

Carefully he moved within taking care not to disturb anything, using the few spells he knew for looking for traps. Nothing.

He straightened up when he entered the main living area, one entire wall was some kind of glass, vines covered large swathes of it but he could see for miles through the gaps.

Jungle for as far as he could see, what he thought had been hills were too regular in shape and spacing to be anything other than other buildings.

He seemed to be in some kind of ancient city, an alien city if the two moons in the sky were any clue. He dropped to his knees as the shock hammered through him. Tears fell without his knowledge as he looked out over the wilds before him. There was no way anyone could find him here.

"I am so fucked."

He wiped the tears away and rammed the emotions down. He was a survivor, he needed to think. Food, water. He needed them before he did anything else. As if to answer his needs rain began to hammer against the glass, he couldn't hear it but it looked like a thunderstorm had rolled in in moments. A faint noise came from the way he had entered the apartment. He carefully made his way to the gap and realised it was the rain on the rest of the building making the noise he heard. Apparently the rooms he was in were soundproofed and sealed from the outside.

Calming down a touch he checked his pockets, he had his emergency stash with him, breathing a sigh of relief he was glad he had never grown out of hoarding a stash of food like he had at the dursleys.

Anger swept through him at the memories, he stopped himself for a moment. His anger was coming to him much quicker than normal, he shrugged it off as a matter for later.

He quickly found another door sealed against the elements, forcing this one open he was shocked as from in the darkness three red lights began to gain strength.

Suddenly a metal arm reached out and tried to grab him.

Scrambling back he yelled in surprise and fear as a metal skeleton forced the door wider and entered the room. The robot raised its right arm with a strange gun and harry reacted without thinking.

"Stupify!"

The spell washed over the form staggering it for a moment before it began to move again. Harry scrambled for cover as the figure began to fire at him. The shots of red energy were wild but scorched the walls leaving small craters in them, the noise strange and nothing like he imagined lasers to sound like.

He quickly upped his spell choice and cried "Reducto!" A flurry of red blasts of magic striking the robot, punching holes into its torso. It made a strange squealing noise at it staggered sideways. Harry moved to a better position and took the opportunity to aim his spell punching into its head between the three lights. As if it was a puppet whose strings had been cut it collapsed, the lights fading quickly.

Harry carefully got closer and kicked at it.

No response.

A cutting curse decapitated the robot and then harry began to relax. Hermione's voice sounding in his mind, "Always confirm your information." He looked at the robot and repeated the spell four more times, now limbless he felt much better about it. Carefully he collected the strange gun and examined it.

Nothing special or odd in its design, it looked like something from science fiction but had a trigger and followed the basics of a gun. Harry shrugged and stuck it on a table for the moment.

Investigating the dark area beyond the door with a lumos to guide his steps he quickly found a chamber with more of the robots, but these had been scattered around the room and looked like they had been cannibalised for parts.

At the back of the chamber stood another door. Taking much more care this time he opening it and waited, sneaking a glance he saw a set of stairs so he carefully climbed them to find a very ornate chamber.

Shiny black stone surrounded him with gold inlaid to form strange script and patterns. Three circles each inside another were at the centre of the chamber, the gold of them shining out against the black.

To one side was a work bench with a collection of strange fragments and odd crystals sitting on the top.

Red cloth covered a raised section at the far end, upon which a suit of black armour stood, its hands at rest around waist height holding a red crystal pyramid in them, strangely ornate tubes sat attached to its belt.

The armours mask was similar to that of the death eaters but rather than silver or white it was black with an ornate patterning in a deep bottle green. The robes of the armour looked black until the light caught them giving them the same green colour.

It was ornate without being too blatant, a subtlety to it that he found pleasing.

The crystal pyramid was glowing, gaining in strength as he came closer. He ignored the faint voice at the back of his mind telling him to run and not look back, Hermione had never managed to get that one to stick in his mind. He was much to curious for his own good. Raising a finger he reached out and touched it.

Nothing happened.

Both slightly relieved and frustrated at the same time, he reached out again, this time channelling a touch of his magic into his finger.

The moment he made contact he felt his magic roar through him, pouring into the crystal, he felt its hunger trying to consume him, to take everything he had and his own anger rose, his magic shifted and tore into that which was trying to steal it. His anger fuelling him, he snarled once more as he began to pull back on it, drawing that which was within the crystal into himself , he felt a flicker of surprise that was not his own before the sensation stopped and suddenly a small red humanoid figure stood floating above the pyramid.

He managed to school his features to hide his surprise as it began to speak to him.

"Vadinti tu'saen."

Harry frowned at the image, "I have no idea what you're saying. Do you speak English?"

The figure pointed at a ring on the finger of the gauntlets holding the crystal, "Vykti tave rieve. Mes galez byloti."

Harry took the crystal and put it on the floor, then he took the ring off the gauntlet and put it on his own finger.

"Now we may converse." Harry raised an eyebrow at the sudden translation he heard, the words echoing in his mind in English, quickly the echo fading until he heard only English. "The ring is one of my relics. It translates the speech of others to ease communication, it will also allow you to speak other tongues should you wish. Over time it will no longer be needed, implanting the knowledge within your mind with each word you hear. Your name child, tell me?"

"Harry Potter."

The figure nodded. "Well met Harry Potter, you must be strong and powerful to have defeated the previous bearer of this holocron. I was once known as Darth Krait. You show strength of will and the capacity to fight off a dominant mind upon your own. It has been a long time since someone interested me as you do, I have tasted the sorcery upon your energies."

"What are you?"

The figure chuckled. "I was a great many things young one, now, I am a gatekeeper to great knowledge and power. Few have been able to use my lessons but you. You may have enough potential to do so. Yes, you are the one I have been waiting for."

"What do you mean?"

"Later young one, for now, this armour is yours, the blades are yours, this holocron shall teach you many things, when you are ready you will be tested and then we shall see if you are worthy to bear my mantle and that of others. The force is strong in you. How far into your training are you?"

"Training? I'm a fifth year at Hogwarts…"

"I know not this Hogwarts, some new school for Sith perhaps. Very well we shall go through the basics, see what you already know, then we shall build upon this foundation. Now sit, not like that, like this." The figure demonstrated. "Now place me before you, hold your hands as so, now, breath, deep breaths, let your mind fall blank, clear, let the world pass as of no consequence, all that matters are my words and your breaths, nothing else."

* * *

It had been a fortnight since his lessons had begun, it came strangely easy for him, his mind clearer than it had been for so long. The basic exercises weren't too bad and the kata came to him easily. His supplies were gone, he had been able to gather a few fruits and killed some ratlike things, a bit stringy but it was food. The weirdest thing was that his hunger seemed to not be that bad, the energies of these ruins seemed to sustain him a touch.

He could now sense the flows of energy around him, the feeling exhilarating and profound at the same time. It was like the sensation of flying and looking for the snitch.

Now something new had happened. Below in the city he had spotted smoke. Having gathered everything together he had looked and watched as a strange aircraft had taken off from a scorched clearing, the edges still burning. After another half hour a second shuttle had landed and a camp had been set up.

Harry gathered his things together and placed a notice-me-not on the holocron. He shrunk the armour down and placed it in the sling bag he had made from what he had scavenged. Then he began his descent. He could feel the energies calling to him, guiding him towards the camp.

The descent was much easier this way than the climb. Every time he felt tired he just reached inside to that pool of anger simmering within and drew on it, his limbs strengthened and the weakness burned away.

One of the early lessons, rule your anger, do not be ruled by it. Let it fuel you, takes its strength for your own.

Soon he came to the edge of the encampment, there he watched as a group of different robots, droids, they were droids, were performing various acts around the camp. He watched for a short while before entering the clearing.

Immediately a group of droids came walking towards him, blasters raised and aimed at him.

"State your identity."

"My name is Harry Potter, I'm here to see the person in charge, we have much to discuss."

The droids looked between each other in confusion and then motioned him to follow with their guns. Harry nodded and carefully did as instructed, he had too much to do than be shot this early in the game.

They led him to a large tent within which stood a tall human, hair now silvery grey. A severe and intimidating man dressed in black and grey, a cape on his back. His voice was strong and powerful, rumbling through the quiet. Harry could feel a pressure in the air from him, similar to his own magic but subtly different.

"Who are you and how did you come to be here?" The man's brown eyes bored into harry as if to examine his very being with a glance.

Harry raised his occlumency and made eye contact. He stood tall and without fear as he responded. "Apparently manners are lacking here. My name is Harry Potter, I am a… traveller. Very far from home and lost in an incident. You're the first human I've seen since I've gotten here."

The man's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Apologies Harry Potter, I am Count Dooku." His eyes focused on Harry looking for any glimmer of recognition, finding none he carried on. "I am leading an expedition to this world in search of something."

"Count, a pleasure." Harry bowed his head slightly catching a flicker of surprise in the man's features. "I have not been here long and have explored little myself. What is it you are looking for? Maybe I can be of assistance."

"I know not what I am here for Harry Potter."

"Harry, just Harry."

"Very well, Harry. As I was saying I came here looking for whatever was calling me, i can feel the force in you, I am surprised you did not feel it yourself."

"When exactly did you… feel… this call?"

Dooku's eyes narrowed at the boy, "approximately fourteen days ago."

"Ah, then you are in luck, I do believe that was me."

"You?" The sneer in his voice would have made Snape proud.

"That was when I arrived here, so unless you can think of anything that would have called you two weeks ago from this very area other than myself, then you have completed your expedition in record time I imagine."

Dooku stood there in thought, his eyes examining the boy as he pondered, a shift in the breeze moved the boys clothing and he saw the hilt of a lightsaber. Once more his eyebrow raised in surprise, "and where did you acquire that?"

"Hmm? Oh this, I found it here, finders keepers, there's probably plenty of others around this place if you want one, but you already have one so it's not like you need it. Anyway, I am going to make you an offer. You get me off this world and help me get home, I'll help you as best I can in exchange."

"And what can you do that I cannot myself?"

Harry smiled and pulled his wand out of its holster and conjured a pair of chairs for them. Sitting and tapping his wand on his knee he motioned towards the second chair, "Oh I don't know, I'm sure we can think of something."


	2. The Beginning is a Difficult Time

**Chapter 2 – The beginning is a difficult time**

Harry stared out upon the world below; childish awe ran through him before he brought himself back under control. The dirty brown colour didn't take away any of his joy, nor the information that it was some kind of junk world.

Count Dooku, did the man have no first name? was standing overseeing the small fleet as they maneuvered around to protect his approach. Apparently he was to make a speech.

His deep rich voice carried across to him, "Come Harry, we shall use this as a lesson for you."

Harry nodded as he moved to follow his new tutor.

"You merely have to stand to one side; you will be acting as my assistant in this event. We need to properly educate you if we are to use your talents properly. How are you progressing with the reading material?"

"I'm getting through it. I can see what you mean by the Republics corruption. I at least understand why you would leave the Jedi, they are so focused on their image as peacekeepers they blind themselves to aiding the little people. They remind me so much of Dumbledore it's sickening."

Dooku's eyes snapped to look at the boy for a moment before returning to the datapad he was reading. "Good, it's pleasant to actually discuss matters with someone who has lived under such a yoke. Have you decided upon the style you wish to learn first?"

"I think Makashi would be best for me, it will give me a good grounding of how to defend myself against Jedi. The first sign of my magic and they'll come after me. After that I would like to at least become proficient in the other styles. Better to be prepared for anything," a small smile flittered across his face, "information is power after all."

"Makashi, a good choice, my personal favourite, a duellist's style. Of course you will eventually forge yourself your own personal style but that comes with experience. I shall begin our lessons upon our return if you would like?"

"Please, that would be brilliant."

Dooku glanced over to the boy beside him, what had happened to him that a little attention from a mentor figure could bring such a response. Once more his thoughts ran back to his master and the rule of two. He was nearing his eightieth year; age was starting to creep into his joints. Force willing he had many years left to him, however he would need to find and begin training a suitable student immediately otherwise the chain of master and apprentice would be weakened.

As they entered the turbolift he placed his hand upon the boys shoulder and gave a rare smile. "I believe with a little help you will be able to do great things Harry Potter. Great things indeed."

The boy's happy smile lit up the lift as they moved, he almost regretted how the darkness would wipe that away. Maybe the boy could become his apprentice after all. His unique talent with sorcery would be an edge few could match. The darkness nestling within the boy was a seed that just needed a little water and guidance, he had the potential to become a tree to rival anything on Kashyyyk. First of all, he just had to get rid of the boys desire to find a way home.

* * *

Harry stood watching a master of public speaking berate the Republic for its corruption and the rot within the halls of government. The parallels between here and home were astounding and very worrying. Taking mental notes he watched as the reporters and officials witnessing this, carried along by the passion and power in the words. They listened in rapt attention, hungry for more, as he became more animated so did the crowd.

Passion. It ruled here, in his words, in his eyes.

Harry could feel his magic sing in approval at the effect mere words were having on others. He managed to keep calm, fighting the urge to join the crowd in their calls and responses, his occlumency straining from it. He clamped down on his emotions, he was the one in charge, not them. Passion may bring strength, but it can also chain you itself, I rule myself, no other rules me. A deep breath and balance was restored.

He smiled and clapped as Dooku finished declaring his intent to create the Confederacy of Independent Systems, watching as the reporters began to almost scream their questions at him. With a few words and confidence he quickly regained control of them, the disapproving glare he gave them and the sharp tone to his words, McGonagall wished she could quiet a group that quickly.

He looked over the crowd again and suddenly spotted a man in the crowd, he stood out to Harry's eyes, his gut churning as he made eye contact, he was moving before he thought about it, a race of seeker reflexes versus a blaster being raised and fired. He managed to make it, nudging Dooku away from the podium as the bolt punched into Harry's shoulder.

Pain and screams.

Shock was setting in quickly, he fought it, the attacker must be stopped.

The guards had already moved when Dooku struck the assassin in the chest with his fist. He was so fast! Harry barely saw him move as he watched the assassin crumple around Dooku's fist.

Darkness encroached swiftly but he heard Dooku's speak, his mother's screams becoming louder as Dooku's voice faded.

* * *

He awoke suddenly, aware and alert, adrenaline rushing through his veins, his magic rising and coiled to strike against any threat.

He was alone. He looked at the clock, only three hours. He relaxed and stopped. His glasses, where were his glasses? How could he see without them. He didn't bother with a tempus, the spell had refused to work since his arrival. He picked up the pad on his bedside table and checked the date.

Four days. He had been out of it for four days and three hours, well shit.

A chirp from his doorway broke his thoughts away back to the present.

"Come!" He called, checking his state of dress.

Dooku entered and stood observing him. "That was a stupid thing to do. I was well aware and perfectly safe. But I am not ungrateful for the intent behind your actions. Come, get dressed, we have much work to do so that next time you will not require medical assistance."

He stood watching as if a sentinel as Harry hurried to obey. He noticed Harry's confusion and quickly filled him in. "The blast tore through your shoulder, an uncivilized assassins tool, the blast didn't cauterise properly and had caught an artery in your shoulder, several bone fragments were also tearing into important parts of you. You were in surgery for a short period and then a bacta tank to speed healing. Whilst in surgery I ordered the medical staff to repair your eyesight, no cybernetics were involved, it was a simple problem to fix. It was also noted that you have several badly healed injuries, these were also fixed for you. You will require some exercise and training to adapt to the small changes this has caused in you."

Harry stopped in front of Dooku in basic clothes and nodded at him, "thank you for your help."

Dooku nodded back in response, "how else would I repay my saviour. Now come. We have much work to do with you to bring you to an acceptable level."

Harry smiled as he followed the austere man from his room, almost jogging to keep up with Dooku's long strides.

* * *

Dooku sat looking at the medical file before him.

"Your report is most interesting doctor, however, I am not a healer nor am I as educated in their terminologies as you are, please break it down for me." Dropping the datapad on his desk he looked up at the man before him.

Nervously he licked his lips before beginning, confidence returning as he fell into routine. "The subject is a male approximately aged fifteen standard years. We think he is a human or human subspecies, his DNA appears normal with a few minor variations. His injuries show a lifetime of abuse and I would say torture. He has some strange scars that appear to be in a very basic handwriting on the back of his right hand." He took a deep breath, then continued.

"On top of that there are a number of very odd things. The scar on his forehead has never healed properly, it should have faded or deformed as he grew from a child, however the shape and position have not altered, in addition to that, receiving the scar should have marked the subjects' skull, there are no signs of that at all. At some point the entire bone structure from his right shoulder down to include his fingers has been replaced with more of his own bones. What is most odd is the fact that our tests say that the entire skeleton is the same age, but the wear and tear on that limb is less than two years old. There is also a fragment of foreign mater embedded in his right forearm, it's under a very nasty looking scar, it believe he was bitten at some point, however the alien fragment has been fused with his own bones, the tip of which reached the subjects bone marrow."

He looked at Dooku who nodded for him to continue. "Scars on his leg also show some kind of bite having recently occurred, it looks like a spider but the size of the creature involved would be rather impressive. At an estimate it would match an adult Harch if not larger. I expected nerve and muscle damage in the region, however once again the wear and tear of those sections are much less than the rest of the body."

"His rate of natural healing is also much faster than a normal human, something like three times as fast if not more. His blood samples have caused a lot of problems for us. Tests on his blood in his body have worked without problems, however, remove the blood from his vicinity and it begins to react. It immediately acts like an acid and a blood coagulant, it's incredibly aggressive but appears completely natural, no signs of genetic modification appears to have occurred at all. Strangely the doctors could work on him, it was when we tried to take samples that things changed. There is also no sign of any virus, bacteria or disease within his body other than those that are meant to be there. We have no explanation for it at all, it's rather confusing."

"There is also the scar on his chest above his heart, the pattern is odd, and our scanners cannot detect the golden particles that can be seen with the naked eye. No droid can see them either, nor any cybernetic vision. There is also a tiny amount of them in his blood stream, smaller than one part in a million, but they are there. We tried to acquire a sample but they… refused to move from the subject, if removed they would disappear and they would reappear in the scar. Removal of flesh around a particle does not work either."

"I served in the Jedi medical corps, I was never a padawan but I have some skill with the force. So I know that there are other things we can check in addition. I haven't informed my colleagues as they would not understand. I performed a check on his midi-chlorian count, its currently at approximately nineteen thousand per cell, my first check placed him at six thousand, but that was at the very beginning immediately following his surgery, since that its grown to its current levels where its stopped. I have no reason for it to have done that at all, nor do I have any reason that it's grown by such an extreme level within twenty four hours."

"To finish off there are the strange residues in his body. I know that something very wrong caused the injury which resulted in the scar on his forehead; there is a lingering essence of the dark side within it. I have no idea what it is or how it got there. There is also a lingering essence around his mouth and throat, as well as across his nervous system, these all have faded at a similar rate but have different levels of residue remaining. Something has happened to him repeatedly from different sources over the years. All in all I'm surprised the boy has lived this long."

Dooku nodded and picked up the datapad again. "Thank you doctor, you have been most helpful, I believe that you should be assigned as Harry's personal doctor, ensure his health and observe him as best you can. I would appreciate a more thorough study with expanded details, in laymans terms, as quickly as you can. See if you can acquire some blood samples, I will see about a team to investigate that aspect further.

Dooku turned to look out over the landscape in thought. This gave him plenty of clues about Harry and how to manipulate him, but for every answer, a dozen more questions appeared. It was an annoying waste of resources, but the medical team would have to be removed, he did not need his master hearing about any of this until he was ready.

* * *

 **22 BBY or Year 13 after the Great Resynchronisation**

Four lightsabers clashed, screaming against each other, sparks flying as the two combatants span away from each other. A shift in their stances and then they struck at each other once more, their moves fluid and in balance, almost a dance in its intricacies.

Grievous slipped first, his blade fractionally out of alignment, spinning away to the corner of the room, his opponent increased the intensity of strikes, hammering away at the cyborgs defences. Grievous kicked out gaining himself space as he shifted to his quad armed form. Grabbing more lightsabers from his belt and lighting them.

His opponent chuckled in amusement and discarded his right lightsaber, his gauntleted hand crackling with energy.

Grievous struck, his blades spinning in a tornado of light, two always on attack, two on defense.

His opponent seemed able to predict every move and only defended himself until he found an opening where a red bolt struck grievous in his shoulder. Two of his arms now limp and twitching the battle shifted, his opponent now a spinning dervish, striking at odd angles and forcing the larger form of grievous back.

Everything stopped as grievous saw his opponents hand splayed on his chest, a death strike he could not avoid. They both moved back and bowed in respect. The cyborg growling his displeasure as he collected his lost weapon.

"You did it again you know, same place same problem."

"I am aware of the flaw, each time my elbow locks too early." Grievous growled his response.

"Let me look at it."

"I will not be dissected by you boy. If there is a flaw I will deal with it myself."

Dooku's voice carried across the chamber, "Indeed you shall general. I abhor weakness in those I have trained." Grievous flinched as if slapped before his rage built again. "Enough, you have a mission to attend to, preparations must be made for the strike, go."

Grievous stiffly bowed and stormed from the chamber growling insults under his breath.

"Now Harry, I was pleased with your form today, however I was displeased by your decision to discard a weapon to be fair to your opponent. "

The green eyes of harry met Dooku's with amusement shining in them. "I didn't discard the weapon, I put it aside to await summoning it in his back when he forgot about it, the duel was over before it got to that however."

Dooku surveyed him for a moment before giving him a nod and a faint twitch of a smile. "Good. How have your studies progressed, your theories and plans for enhancing droids?"

Harry smiled at his mentor and motioned towards the turbolift. "I finished this morning, the first Krait type droid is complete. The runes can be included in the actual manufacture of the droids, however it requires a personal touch to fuel them. It is surprisingly simple and not very taxing to do so, but I believe a personal touch would be best in binding them to their controllers. The added bonus is that it does not matter whether it is a light or dark source of the force, both work equally."

Dooku nodded as Harry talked about the Project. His mind shifting plans to deal with this new factor in the future war.

Harry continued as he opened his workshop. "I even have a test model ready." He motioned towards a thin figure in dull grey armour. "I took a broken training droid, wiped its memories and started from scratch. Each form of lightsaber combat the Jedi use, a self-learning system, adapting through experience, the more fights, the better the droid. I then added a set of basic combat training from the rogers and took a large chunk of useless programming from it. It really ruined their accuracy and reduced their processing power to do so. I've sent a slightly modified version to be installed in our personal troops, let the trade federation keep their versions. Now, the armour, this is the normal stuff engraved with the runic arrays, disillusionment, silence, cooling charms, a protego and a portkey array for emergencies."

Seeing Dooku's raised eyebrow as he wandered around the workshop examining items, Harry chuckled, "the portkeys are linked to a separate device, a beacon, once the mission is complete the droid can return to base within approximately ten miles and there's not much that could stop that working. Same happens if the droid cannot complete the mission or is disabled in some form. If the beacon is not in range the droid will self-destruct rather explosively actually rather than be captured, the droid can also trigger this effect in a last ditch attempt to kill its target. So, what do you think so far?"

Dooku looked at the boy, no, young man and nodded in approval. "This one is ready to be tested?"

"Oh yeah, it's not the best combatant so far, only just begun training it, however it's not too bad, the shoulder blaster planned for the next version will also help. Oh, I almost forgot. There's an added side effect in the arrays, you will love this. It absorbs force energies directed at it by anyone other than its original source of force energies. You try and force push or force lightning this and you just recharge it and strengthen the effects. I have plans for a better version of it, but we are missing parts and they're expensive, really expensive."

Harry, Dooku placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, "what do you require?"

"Krath war droid legs like Grievous and Cortosis for the armour and blades."

"Blades?"

Harry grinned at the confused tone, "oh yes, currently its equipped with two lightsabers and two swords with vibro modification, I want to use cortosis on the blades for dealing with Jedi, everyone else the lightsabers would be better for."

"If I can get you those parts, how soon can you produce these?"

"They don't take all that long to make really, the hardest part is the engraving and training. If we take the engraving as part of their manufacture and use basic materials, lose the lightsabers. We can use a factory to mass produce them. The cortosis, lightsabers and training makes them not worth the effort to mass produce, I'd use them for what they were designed for, assassins and infiltrators. Get me the resources and I can have a dozen in less than a month."

Dooku nodded, "excellent, I shall organise what I can for you, in the meanwhile I believe I have a mission for you to perform, something that is of great importance but will seem irrelevant to you. My master entrusted it to me, I shall entrust it to you."

"Thank you, you won't be disappointed."

Dooku gave the young man a smile, "no, I don't believe I will be. The information is on the ship waiting for you. Now I have a few questions for you regarding the protego, it seems rather draining, is there not a better spell?"

Harry sighed, "I'm afraid not, enhancing it maxima will enhance the shield but it requires more power. Its frustrating, with your age and experience you should be able to channel more power than you are. I think its something to do with the fact you started learning magic so far into your life. Find me someone about the age of ten or eleven, I could train them up to have a better blend of abilities, but it would take years to get them to a suitable level. Then there's the wand issue, kashyyyk has the wood to make wands but the cores are a problem, I can't think of what we could use to replace them. Theoretically I could use alchemy to forge a core like a lightsaber crystal, but I don't have enough information to look into that. The wandless magic you've managed is pretty much the limit of how far we can push you, everything else you can use the force for."

"I am, unfortunately, in agreement with you on that, with a few resources we could possibly try teaching younglings to use magic but without wands, they will be immensely limited. A project for later, once the war is over. "

"Any news on the search?"

"I am afraid not, my agents have found nothing so far. It's possible any records which could aid us are in the Jedi archives. There is also the chance that the system is in the unexplored regions of the galaxy or simply has not been found yet."

"I know, but its just so frustrating, I just want to know they're safe."

"Do not worry Harry, it is merely a matter of time and resources, it has only been two years so far since I found you, we will find your homeworld eventually. In the meantime, you have a mission, we will discuss this more when you return."

Harry smiled as he watched his mentor leave the room, then the smile faded. He walked over to a box in the corner, carefully he removed the crystal pyramid from within. A touch of his power and the figure of Darth Krait appeared.

"How did the meeting go then student?"

"It went well, he is looking to acquire the parts I want to progress further. I have been given a mission."

"Good, some experience outside would do you good, I am pleased with your advancements of my ideas, it was such a pity I lacked the time to actually develop them further."

"No fear on that part Krait, I named the design after you, any recognition of the name by a Jedi will simply add to their fear of them."

"Thank you student, I would have been honoured, I have no more to teach you young one, I will miss our discussions. Remember what needs to be done now."

Harry smiled sadly, "I'll miss you as well Darth Krait", with a hand motion he forced the pyramid open and removed the gem within, the pyramids glow failing like a switch had been flipped. Harry sighed sadly before putting both sections into the box, he stood and flicked a finger at the prototype droid, "best keep you with me for now."

The droid nodded and followed its master as he left the room carrying the box.

* * *

Harry followed the two figures as they moved around the Senate, the Jedi padawan was nervous and distracted by his charge. The senator maintained a calm demeanour but was also distracted by her bodyguard. Harry snorted in amusement, he was amazed how blind those around them were. With a sigh he continued his observations.

Learn all you can of your enemy, learn to predict them, then you may strike and keep them off balance. The padawan was also apparently some kind of prophesised one, at least Harry understood how that felt, the hate and hope in equal measure, observation of every move he would make, whispers behind his back as others talked as if they knew anything about him.

Calm, his anger was of no use here. His information was adequate, this Anakin Skywalker was at least competent, he trusted his gut, his eyes searching for any threat. He'd almost spotted harry a number of times so far but dismissed him as a threat. That was good, makes things much easier.

He brought his attention back to the Senator, Padme was an attractive young woman, they had a history and a mutual attraction. A flicker of pity rushed through him at the thought, he would give his target a small period of peace, as much as he could, he could give him that at least. Having seen enough he broke away and began to head for the ship. Tapping his datapad he brought up the attached file, Shmi Lars nee Skywalker.

* * *

He sat in the back of the transport, the farmers all drowsy from a long day at the market. His target fanning herself, pleased with the day, her mind drifting.

Harry nudged the drivers controls with the force from his seat, the driver didn't notice, half asleep himself, a degree off course and nearly an hour to reach the farms.

He felt the raiders minds following them only forty minutes later, he readied himself, it would be soon.

The driver looked around and gathered himself.

"Huh, what the…" His last words ended as the blaster fire tore his chest open. The transport suddenly turned, twisting as his body fell on the controls, the transport rolling until it came to a stop.

Harry let his protego go and quickly disillusioned himself, climbing from the crash he jumped away with the force and landed on a rocky outcropping to one side.

The Tusken raiders began their chants and calls as the farmers spilled from the transport, they scattered in fear. Harry felt a touch of respect for Shmi as she stood her ground, a bar of metal from the wreck in one hand and a small blaster in the other, very Gryffindor of her.

Harry flinched at that and brought himself back under control, this was necessary.

She managed to hold off a raider and shoot him in the chest, as she staggered to her feet pushing his body off her another struck her from behind. Her unconscious body falling to the sand. The raider raised its weapon to kill her when the imperio hit him, he staggered and then started to bind her instead.

It took only ten minutes for the raiders to disappear into the desert, the supplies and surviving farmers taken.

Harry waited another ten before jumping back to the wreck, he found the emergency beacon and activated it, he waited nearby for the armed patrol to arrive.

When they finally turned up over two hours later he jumped to the roof of their vehicle and meditated there until they returned to Mos Eisley.

Disappearing into the crowd he entered a cantina and waited for the news to spread, once sure it had he returned to his ship. Triggering his communications he waited for Dooku to respond.

"Yes?"

"The target has been captured as planned, it will not be pleasant for her, but it will draw Skywalker here."

"Excellent, you have your droid with you?"

"Yes Count, it is ready for its first field test."

Dooku nodded at that, "you will travel to Bespin, at cloud city there is a man called Onto Brax, he is a Jedi Shadow, he is investigating rumours of a hidden facility. You are to recover his research, plant false evidence of the facilities destruction by the Jedi, then remove the Jedi from the equation, implicate local crime in this. Do not rush, ensure your success."

"Yes Count, I'll begin immediately."

 **AN (It's a big one, at least for me** **):**

Reviews: 

Indecisive Bob – Harry is pretty much beyond caring about the ministry and its laws at this point. He is alone, without resources and can't even begin to go home as he doesn't know where he is, never mind exactly where home is. The only thing which could possible interest someone other than selling himself into slavery is his magic. so he's going to use it, and know he's going to be used for it, at least for now.

Itaak2003 – the intent was to have a darker Harry being mentored and guided by Dooku, so grey with dark tendencies would be a little more appropriate.

Lord of Carrion – Dooku has indeed been taught a chunk of what Harry knows, however the lack of wands, materials and knowledge means that Dooku is having to learn wandless magic before anything else, plus he has to get past many decades of training and experience of how things work. He won't be flinging spells around all over the place, but the few he manages, he'll be well practiced at.

Other stuff:

I know that I'll be asked about this, so, the Midi-chlorian count. I personally don't like the midi-chlorian aspect of the setting, however I have used it here. In the season Six episode of the clone wars series called Destiny, the force priestess says the following:

All that surrounds us is the foundation of life, the birthplace of what your science calls midi-chlorians, the foundation of what connects the Living Force and the Cosmic Force.

So I am taking the view that Qui-gon Jinn believes that they are an organic source of the force, but this viewpoint is looked down upon by many Jedi.

In this story, the Jedi measure something in the body but do not really understand it, however they can detect it and have built a scale to measure each other against. But as the force and magic are really the same for my story, they found that Harry's measurement kept changing. His body was using his magic to repair and sustain him, then returning to its normal levels. The Jedi rarely use the force when the tests are performed, nor do they use enough of the force to really alter their levels, thus any discrepancies are accepted as minor errors in the readings and ignored as irrelevant.

For reference I use the scale as follows:

0 – A null in the force, their presence disrupts the flow of energy

1 to 2000 – no force sensitivity

2500 – Average human

3000 to 4000 - squib

5000 to 6000 – mild force sensitive or weak magi

7000 to 9000 – average force sensitive or magi

10000 to 11000 – strong force sensitive or magi

12000 – Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, Asajj Ventress and Filius Flitwick

13000 – Minerva McGonagall, Count Dooku and Ahsoka Tano

14000 –Darth Sidious, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Hermione Granger, Tom Riddle, Neville Longbottom and Albus Dumbledore.

15000 – Harry Potter before Halloween 1981

17000 – Jedi Master Yoda

19000 – Harry Potter after Halloween 1981 and Lord Voldemort

22000 – Anakin Skywalker

These are all potentials of power, the actual skill and capability to use it is something else. Take Neville for example, I've marked him as powerful, but he is known as barely competent for the majority of the story. This is mainly due to his own self confidence and being forced to use his father's wand. The moment he gets his own wand and a bit of confidence, he seems to rocket upwards to try and fulfil his potential.

You will also note that Tom Riddle and Voldemort are marked as separate entities. This is due to Riddle undertaking dark rituals to enhance himself beyond his previous limits. Harry's boost is the fact that the scar is a link to Voldemort, a link that goes two ways. Thus in my story the pseudo Horcrux in harry bled power into harry, thus raising him to be Voldemort's equal.

For those of you who will ask about where Ron is on the scale, I put him in the upper end of average, because he is. Other than a talent for chess and emotional instability there is noting that stands out about him.

As for his willingness to use magic he would not have used previously, he's had two years with Dooku as a mentor, his normal viewpoint has been shifted and been moulded into something for Dooku to use. As for his skills with combat and the force, harry has long been a much better hands on student than studying, he's been able to do things earlier and with more skill than grown adults after being shown a few times. Dooku taking him on as his student simply means dedicated training time for him and him alone.

I hope that answers a few of the questions for you all.


	3. Looking in the Mirror

**Chapter 3 – Looking in the Mirror**

Cloud City was an amazing place, the floating city was an amazing range of architecture from slums all the way to glittering spires of the rich.

He docked the Lily as instructed, the YT-2400 had been a gift from Count Dooku, heavily upgraded than the norm, but it suited Harry just fine. The co-pilot and engineer for the moment was a R2 unit, not bad at its job, but Harry planned to replace it as soon as possible with a Krait droid.

Leaving the prototype droid behind, he wandered amongst the crowds as he stepped onto the docks. His eyes wandered amongst the varied species around him, thoughts ran back to Hogwarts for a moment, Malfoy would have had an aneurism at the sights around him, Ron would have probably joined him with that, Hermione…

Harry smashed his occlumency down on his emotions at the thought of her joyous eyes at seeing all the sights available.

He moved off towards the slums, he needed information before he could do anything else, he'd already picked the location for the lost facility, well away from Cloud City, outside their sensors on the other side of the planet, vessels could slip up and down there and the region picked was absent anything of value, no miners in the region to mess things up. Now he needed to find Onto Brax.

He began wandering port town, listening for anything of interest and finally came across a small cantina stuffed between two floors, the Four-and-a-Half was the joked name when he asked.

Entering the cantina he found it dark and just noisy enough to cover conversations but not to hurt the ears. He moved through the crowd looking carefully around and made it to the bar, ordering a Whiskey, a muttered "high roller" from the barkeep made him smile. He took the drink and moved to an alcove and began to watch his surroundings.

After about an hour he moved across to the sabacc tables to play a few hands. With a touch of legilimancy and the force he managed to keep even with his winnings, chatting to the other players getting a feel for the area.

A few names kept coming to his attention, a big hitter for the area was a human called Vorse Tabarith, a rather violent gang leader and smuggler, a useful name to use later. Other than that little extra came to his attention other than there was rumours of a strange healer helping in the worst parts of cloud city. He also learnt to avoid the Wing Guard captain, a man renowned for being buyable, extremely proud and violent in his arrests. A dirty cop in charge would make things interesting.

After winning a few good hands and getting enough to pay his docking fees for a few days he headed back to his ship to get some rest.

He sat back in his chair and checked his access to the cities records. Scanning the news he found a few pictures of violent crimes that tabarith was supposedly involved in. Violent didn't really cover it. The man would have made a good Sith Warrior from the mess around the place.

He stopped and repeated the images, carefully examining them. There. An old Ugnaught was observing the scenes, several times as well. He quickly brought up news reports for other major crimes and quickly spotted the same Ugnaught watching from the shadows and in a few cases talking to a few of the Wing Guard.

He sat back in thought at that. He had been dressed in workmans clothes, no sign of a lightsaber, but had a couple of odd tools on his belt. Had contacts in local law and probably helped them out, they might be the way to draw him out.

He tapped his chin in thought. Tabarith ran Dock 124A, you can smuggle anything you want through him for the right price, violent and aggressive he would already be on the Jedi's watch-list. Drop something to one of the jedi's contacts, draw him into a trap, let tabarith know a Jedi was poking his nose in things, strike in the chaos. Let the Captain know about the Jedi's plan to involve himself? No, that would probably mess things up, things needed to calm down afterwards, get back to normal.

He returned to his screen, what was this about a healer? A second jedi would make things awkward.

* * *

Harry watched as the small hospital was flooded with a collection of the sick, a small illness was spreading badly amongst the slums. If the healer was going to be anywhere, they would be here. After two hours he thought he'd made a mistake or it was just a rumour when a robed figure left the building. They must have been there before he got here.

They moved like they were tired and waved away offers to assist from the locals they had helped. At least this Jedi was helping the little people, actually doing something than standing all shiny and proud interfering with politics as if no-one else could handle things.

He watched as they staggered into an ally, he carefully followed remaining unseen and watched as they entered a short door with a feminine "Master I'm home!"

Well crap. A padawan, that changes things. It made things much harder, Harrys face ached with the grin, what a challenge this would be.

* * *

Count Dooku looked down at his hand in frustration, the lack of a wand really hampered his growth, perhaps he could borrow harry's for a time, no, he would get through this barrier by himself, no tool or crutch.

He turned his attention back to geonosian kneeling before him, he decided to change how he had been practicing, calling on his anger and rage he pointed his hand at the cowering figure before him.

"Crucio!"

A wispy bolt of putrid yellow energy struck his victim, it suddenly arched its back, screaming in agony as it felt burning knives plunging into its nerves, slowly cutting and twisting before it suddenly ended.

Dooku smiled at the rush of energy he felt, the power flooding back into him, he felt revitalised, as if he had drawn some of his victims power into himself. Then fatigue struck, he swayed for a moment before regaining his balance.

Not quite, hate and rage was wrong, it wasn't enough. He thought back to his discussion on the matter with Harry, with a twisted smirk he began drawing on his hate and hunger to inflict pain and suffering on those weaker.

"Crucio!"

This time his victim almost snapped its own spine as it twisted under the agony, its wings tearing free as muscles and ligaments tore. It began to spasm and froth at its mouth before with a gurgle it stopped making anything more than faint twitches and shudders.

Dooku drew his attention back to his victim, fighting the euphoria. With a raised eyebrow he nudged his victim with his boot, he reached out with the force and recoiled at the fragmented mind left before him. At least this time there was almost no exhaustion to deal with.

"Reducto."

The things pain ended he waved his hand, the force throwing the body to one side.

Turning to his servant, "bring me another."

* * *

The Droid had been finished and tweaked for its mission. It had studied the crime scene images Harry had acquired and would be able to make things look like Tabarith had been involved. He had managed to find one of the Jedi's informants and tagged him with a tracking spell, it would last for a few days, long enough to finish up here.

He was currently following the Padawan, studying her routine, not that there appeared to be one. She moved around in a hooded robe, a dark grey, easily blending amongst the crowd. Every so often a street urchin ran up to her and her path changed to help someone else.

How to interact without making it seem like a threat to her or her master? He moved into an alley, drawing his blaster pistol, he used the force to move it behind him and shot himself in the shoulder, "Fuck! That hurt." The pain washed through him and he stopped himself automatically using the force to begin healing it.

He staggered to one side and then fell over into some rubbish, climbing to his feet he took a shard of metal from the floor and using the force cut himself a few times, defensive wounds. Then he gathered himself and staggered towards a nearby inn, the Lady Yarith. Known for privacy and not asking or answering questions.

He made it to the front desk and paid for a room, the female Ugnaught nodded and gave him a door key, her eyes widening at the sight of blood and the scorch marks on his clothes.

"Do you need a healer?" her voice calm but nervous.

"A quiet and competent one if possible." A slight nudge in the force to her mind and she would send a runner to the one he wanted.

She nodded and moved to one side to send the message as he went to his room.

It didn't take long at all until there was a knock at his door.

"Come in!" Harry called, he moved to a defensive position, his pistol raised at head height as the droid opened the door.

The Padawan entered, her hands in the open and with nothing in them. "Leave us" she commanded the droid who shut the door behind it. She turned her head up to make eye contact with him "You need help, I'm here to see what I can do for you."

Harry froze at the eye contact. A subtle mix of chocolate brown and hazel with flecks of an almost gold near the pupil. _Her_ eyes. The womans frown was the same as hers as well. Harry staggered back as the emotions rushed through his mind before he clamped them down. The pistol lowering and then placed on the table in easy reach should he need it.

The woman pulled back her hood and motioned towards a chair with her gloved hand. As she moved back Harry recovered, following her instructions, it wasn't her. The hair a rather short but slightly curly black, her skin a very milky coffee colour. His heartbeat and breathing came back under control.

"So, what seems to be the problem, I only see a few cuts, nothing too bad."

Harry gave her a tight smile and then let his coat fall to the floor, her eyes found the holster and the vibro-knife quickly and then caught sight of the burnt hole in his back as he turned the chair around and sat down. He flinched at the hissed intake of breath, memories trying to get free, it wasn't her.

"Ouch, that must hurt. Why didn't you go to a hospital with this?"

"Can't, I'd lose the tracks of the thing I'm hunting."

"Hunting? You're a bounty hunter?"

"Yeah, freelance at the moment, but trying to get in the guild. Want to make a bit of a name for myself first, that way they don't just ignore me. Might have bitten off more than I can chew."

"Take off your shirt", he did so following her instructions, careful around his wound. Her hands ran around the injury, carefully examining it, "There's some fragments in here, I need to get them out, do you want to be unconscious when I do this?"

"No. I'll manage, whats a Jedi doing around here?"

"Jedi? What makes you think I'm a Jedi?"

"Your braid tucked behind your ear and the way you feel, I was too old to train when they found me so I left instead." His occlumency strong and in control bled out enough similar emotions and memories to support his lies.

Her hands halted for a moment before continuing her work. "That's sad, if you have the force why don't you help people rather than being a bounty hunter?"

He hissed as alcohol burned into his wound, he felt her use the force to pull the fragments of the rubbish from the wound. "I do help people. I hunt down monsters that prey on others and give people peace of mind. Plus I get paid for it which means I don't go hungry."

"So which monster are you hunting at the moment", amusement colouring her question.

"Vorse Tabarith."

Her hands halted at that, a thick goo dripped onto his back. He shivered at the cold and the surge of fear he felt in her. "Leave him be, go home, stay safe. Let someone else get that bounty."

"What do you mean?" Curiosity colouring his voice.

"My master is trying to get him, but he's too well connected and dangerous, pays off the Wing captain so no-one goes after him. If you try and capture him you'll die." Her fingers trembled as she placed the goo in the wound. She then took a deep breath and refocused herself on her work. "Now, this may tingle or feel odd." With that she began to channel the force through herself into his wound.

Harry froze, keeping himself still, hiding the slight burning sensation in his scar as the energies flowed into him. A feeling of dripping on his forehead demanded his attention, he wiped it away and looked to his fingers to see blood on them, his scar had opened and begun to bleed. His eyes flickered to the mirror and he saw her eyes were closed in concentration. Carefully he reached out with the force to take some of the alcohol she had used and his sleeve to wipe away the blood before she noticed.

"Done." She exclaimed with a released whoosh of breath. "It might be sore and ache for a short time but there will be nothing permanent from the injury."

"Thank you, what do I owe you for what you've done?"

"Whatever you can afford or what you think the healing was worth." She bit her bottom lip in thought, Harry flinching at the sight. Her eyes snapped to his at that, the frown returning. "You can also tell me why you do that."

He tried not to act guilty at the question before sighing and running a hand nervously through his hair. "Sorry, you just remind me of… a friend I knew. She was badly hurt the last I saw her a few years ago, I don't even know if she is alive still." He sat on the edge of the bed, the emotion roiling within him.

The girl crouched before him and placed a hand on his shoulder, making eye contact. "You say you have the force?" At his nod she continued. "Then what does this tell you?" her finger pointing to his heart.

"She's alive and waiting for me." He whispered.

The girl nodded and smiled at him, "trust that feeling, no matter what happens you'll find her again. And this time tell her how you feel." His shocked eyes found hers, amusement and a sadness shining in them. "Jedi may not make attachments like yours, it opens the way for darker emotions and can be a step towards the darkside. It doesn't mean that it doesn't happen or that it doesn't hurt when you are separated."

She took a step back and let the sadness fall away from her.

He looked at her for a moment before nodding in thanks at her. He moved across to his pack and took a pouch of credits. He placed it in her hand and held it there for a moment. "Thank you, I think I'll take your advice after all."

She smiled at him and gathered her things, just before she left she stopped. "Elia Tanna, that's my name, find me if you need help getting back to her."

"Jade, Evan Jade." He smiled at her in return, "thank you, I'll remember the offer and I'll take you up on it."

With a last smile she was gone and Harry tried not to feel like such a monster.

* * *

Harry looked over the alleyway below him, everything was moving into position, he had a good view of what would unfold beneath him. The contact had informed the jedi of something major being smuggled to a hidden mining platform. Harry had planted information that a Jedi was poking his nose into the smuggling operation on landing bay 124A, with a little more evidence he would be going to the Wing Guard Captain for manpower to shut the smuggling down.

Elia was currently far away on the other side of cloud city, healing a sudden poisoning of an orphanage. Harry felt a little guilty about the children, but it was nothing more than food poisoning really. She didn't need to be here for this, she was the only Jedi he actually liked and actually did something, a small mercy for the pain he was going to put her through.

He'd already been to the Jedi's home and altered the evidence, just enough to cover the hidden facilities existence and its destruction, focusing everything on Tabarith and his smuggling, making it look like he was smuggling spin-sealed Tibanna gas to the separatists. Which as it turns out he is.

He'd even prepared an emergency message to the local law, they'd arrive too late of course and would blame everything on the criminals. He looked over at the droid opposite him, its blades extended and ready for use.

"Here he comes, and so do they. Remember your orders." Turning back to watch events below once the droid nodded to acknowledge its orders.

The Jedi stopped in the alley below them, looking around as if he sensed the danger, probably did actually, but it was too late. The gang members appeared at either end of the alley, weapons drawn and Tabarith in the background.

The Jedi sighed in annoyance before squealing at the gangers. Tabarith chuckled and simply commanded, "Kill him."

Suddenly a lightsaber lit and the Ugnaught Jedi became a whirling dervish of severed limbs and screams. Harry frowned at the calm focus at the centre of the storm, he also felt tabarith's confidence rapidly fall as the fight came closer to him, within twenty seconds half his men were screaming on the ground and the rest retreating. The Jedi merely breathing heavily.

"Fall back, this isn't over Jedi!" Tabarith yelled over the noise.

As they fled leaving lost limbs and the dead behind, the Jedi leant against a wall, exhaustion finally coming into view, before he could gather himself, harry motioned his droid to attack.

The Jedi's instincts saved him as he spun, his lightsaber crashing with sparks against the droids blades. Parry, riposte, parry, thrust. The motions smooth and almost too fast for the eye, but the Jedi's connection to the force was just enough to land glancing blows on the droid and avoid anything in return. Harry snarled in annoyance, but held his position, let the Jedi tire, then strike.

The Jedi pushed out with the force and Harry watched amused as a bubble of energy appeared protecting the droid, the force energies flowing around and into the droid, "excellent, it worked." He muttered. Shrapnel and rubble struck out next, the bubble protecting the droid as intended.

Harry smiled again in pleasure at the array working as planned, then things changed. The jedi poured more force energy trying to push the droid back, the bubble intensified and became almost solid before with a flash, and loud bang of displaced air the droid collapsed, the bubble gone. The front of the droid where the array had been carved, molten and destroyed.

Apparently the array had a limit as to what it could absorb. Harry shrugged and watched as the jedi gasped and clutched at his chest, paler than before he staggered for a moment. Leaning once more against the wall he watched as with a strange twisting of colour the droid disappeared.

Harry chose this moment to strike, dropping silently behind the jedi, harry was impressed as he once again span to defend himself, stopping only as the blade punched through his heart. The ugnaught blinked and his arm began to move but harry caught the wrist and squeezed just enough. The lightsaber fell to the floor, turning off without its master holding it. Harry gently lowered the gasping jedi onto the floor.

"Don't worry, I made sure she was far away, she wasn't my target." He removed the blade, the jedi making a gasping choke as he tried to breath, the light draining from his eyes as he faded.

"Darth Tyranus sends his regards Master Onto Brax."

With the light in his eyes now gone and the body empty before him, Harry quickly checked for evidence contrary to what he wanted and then triggered his recorded message.

His mission complete, Harry apparated back to the Lily.

* * *

Harry sat at his desk and filled his journal, updating it with his observations and information gathered. Notes on ideas for updating the Krait droids, notes on possible contacts, useful people and locations. A sketch and notes about Elia Tanna. Then he began to write out his thoughts.

They say that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Why? Did they not have enough bad ones? I laid the first stone right there. I committed myself to the cause. I will pay any price; go to any lengths because my cause is righteous. My... intentions are good. In the beginning, that seemed like enough. Now. A guilty conscience is a small price to pay for me to get home. To her.

He stopped and stood, walking over to the mirror in his room. The droids on board already piloting him back to Raxus Prime. The prototype droid in the hold, waiting for its makers attention to restore it from its mangled state.

Looking at his reflection in the eye he spoke out loud. "I think I can live with it... And if I had to do it all over again... I would... So I will learn… to live with it...Because I can live with it...I _can_ live with it."

 **AN:**

Reviews:

Starboy454 – I'm afraid I won't answer your question at this time as it's something for Harry to discover in his quest to find out what happened to him.

Indecisive Bob – hello again . Harry's saving people thing is such a core of him I couldn't remove it, but I can twist it as he starts moving to more extremes in his attempt to save as many people as he can. He's torn between his personal viewpoints and a few to save the many viewpoints.

Lord of Carrion – also Hello again I did a bit of research and many nobles in history never used their personal names once they took over their position, Dooku is in effect the Count of House Dooku, which he treats as if it were his name. Dooku sees Harry as what he could have become with the right guidance early enough, so has developed a connection to him more than as a tool, he truly wants Harry to rise and become something great, he just also has a Master to please as well. On the fidelius, that spell will be discussed much later in the story. As for poor Shmi, her fate rests with the Tusken raiders. Darth Sidious needs a way to trigger Anakin's rage and to make a point to start twisting him from, this was his plan.

Bigfan22 – he'll get home eventually as is intended by the challenge the story is built from, I haven't written anything near that so far, but I feel sorry for the idiots in his way when he gets home.

Ragnar Thorson – I've not read all the old books myself, so I may have missed that one. As for this story, I'm trying to keep to the current canon and timeline, that cuts out a huge chunk of conflicting information to resolve.

Mangahero18 – So do I :)

ErikArden – I realised that I haven't included the details of the challenge, so they're below. I've seen that theory myself and it works better than the canon reason in my mind, the only problem I have with it is some of the non-organic lifeforms, think there were a couple of rocklike species running around with them as well. Either way, I hope your game is going well

The Challenge Rules the story is based off:

 **The Galactic War Challenge by Belgrath**

Harry potter is sent through the veil at age 15 with a time Turner and ends up in a galaxy far far away what will happen when he joins the confederacy of independent systems as the secret apprentice of count dooku

Harry potter and star wars crossover

 _Rules_

Goes through episode 2 attack of the clones and 1 or 2 seasons of the clone wars then from Harry's 3rd year and beyond **agreed and will cover up to the start of episode 3**

Dark/evil harry **going with a more grey harry with dark tendencies**

Time travel **check**

Harry must be sent through the veil during the department of mysteries battle **check**

Harry is a force user and gains a lightsaber **magic as well**

He must end up joining the CIS a few years before episode 2 attack of the clones **check**

Harry becomes the Sith apprentice of count dooku and gains a Sith name **check**

Harry joins the clone wars and combines magic and technology for better droids for the CIS **check**

The CIS develop more superweapons like the malevolence and actually put up a fight in the clone wars **check more on the second than the first of that though, although the upgraded droids will shift the war nicely**

When dooku dies harry travels back in time to his own world at the start of 3rd year **that's the plan**

Harry wages war on the wizard world with the new battle droid army he constructs **along those lines**

Magic can stand up to star wars technologies (this is important) **oh yes indeed**

Manipulative Dumbledore and Weasleys **not all the Weasley's**

Corrupt ministry **all part of the fun**

 _Guidelines_

Harry killing ventress to become dookus apprentice **ventress really doesn't have much luck**

Muggleborns join Harry's army **check**

Harry's base being Azkaban **maybe, not decided in full yet**

Some death eaters join harry because they find out Voldemort is a half blood **maybe**

Sirius is against harry **unlikely but not saying it won't happen**

Snape joining harry **not sure**

 _Forbidden_

Starships as part of harry s droid army **check well back on earth anyway**

Slash **check**

Deathly hallows **check, who needs them**

Harry joining Voldemort **check after all there can only be one dark lord of the sith**.


	4. Angels carrying savage weapons

**AN before we begin, thank you UbberDude for being the 100** **th** **follower of this story :)**

 **Chapter 4 – Angels carrying savage weapons**

"Well done Harry, well done indeed. A pity about your droid, however for a test run it did well, can you adapt the… array to deal with the issue or is it something beyond you?"

Harry's head snapped up, his pride insulted. "No Count, it is something I have to finalise, however its first test was against a Jedi Master, not a knight or padawan. I don't expect my droids will be sent against such targets and if they are we can send a squad."

"Very well, I have the resources you require already on route, you will provide three for my use, then produce another eight for grievous to use as his bodyguards. Produce two more for yourself as guards, no more are to be constructed at this time."

"Very well, I'll do that as soon as I arrive."

"Excellent, once this is done I require your assistance on another mission. Prepare yourself as the war is about to ignite in full."

"Yes Count."

"Ah yes, one last thing." He waited until Harry raised his eyes to meet his. "I am proud of you Darth Abaddon."

With that the transmission was cut. Harry stood, a large smile on his face which slowly bled away. "Finally he acknowledges me as his apprentice", he muttered. Looking towards the corner, "what did you understand from that conversation?"

A protocol Droid stood forward, matt black with green eyes and silver filigree spanning its form, strange markings and runes hidden amongst the whorls. "He believes me a failure father, forgotten or destroyed."

"Are you a failure?"

"No Father, my work has only just begun and I am learning. I exist to perform your will. I will make you proud."

Harry gave him a smirk, "good, now return to your research, I will prepare another data package for you to assimilate."

* * *

Harrys return to Raxus Prime was a pleasant surprise, he had been supplied a small factory for his personal use and a large store of cortosis and parts. Alongside this he had full access to the basic programs he required and his personal research. He smiled as the machines below began to refine the cortosis and pour it into the moulds. Magic had been an immense time saver when he had used it to modify the moulds to include the rune arrays he required. A few tests and a few tweaks later he began to produce the parts properly.

Many from Hogwarts would have been amazed at his focus and skills. Thankfully Hermione had been a great source of books and information. Whilst she rewrote Rons essays and tweaked Harrys he managed to have a look at her essays for Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Harry had always had some skill at maths, he regretted not taking it as well, but by the time he realised what he had done it was too late. His inability to sleep for long periods helped him some, whilst his room-mates had slumbered he had studied, bit by bit he learnt, hiding the knowledge from others, purposefully asking Hermione difficult questions on other matters and letting her wander, hidden lessons she didn't realise she was giving. From those seeds, his current skills had bloomed, his lessons from Darth Krait and Count Dooku had paralleled some of his knowledge, the rest came easily.

Fiddling with Dudley's old toys trying to repair them also gave him a few skills to build from. All in all, he was pleased with himself, he knew he had far to go before he was a master of the arts involved, but his leaps of logic and ideas seemed to have been missed by many of his predecessors, almost like they didn't want to go down those paths.

Now the parts were ready he could continue, over the next seven days he produced the required thirteen droids and their parts, six days followed this as he installed their programs and began to destructively train them without their armour. He quickly burned through his spare parts having to produce a few extras as events proceeded, by the sixth day he felt they were adequate enough for a start, with the right experiences, they would be great.

Their programing included their weapons, the jedi's lightsaber fighting styles torn from training droids, basic stealth and evasion from scouting droids and he'd managed to rip the programing from a tactical droid to supplement things. Then he had a thought and tore the required information from a medical droid and scrapped an interrogation droid as well. With this mix of information he then added his self-adapting programs and allowed it all to mix together with a touch of magic and runes to enhance things.

Strangely they had begun to call him father on their own. The prototype had done the same, but they had not been in each other's presence since they were built. It was an odd and unexpected error, but it still brought a smile to his face at the thought. Once complete he introduced them to their elder brother and updated his programs like the others. It quickly updated them on its experiences from the test run.

On the final day he installed their armour and used the force and his magic to fuel their arrays.

Nodding proudly he led them to the arena to await their display. Just over two weeks of work and his children were ready to leave the roost. Ahead of schedule.

James, the prototype, the first of the Krait type droids was already modifying a unit of the rogers for harrys own personal use, carving the arrays on their armour as instructed as well as updating their programming with a personal variation of Harry's own design. The wiping of the computer records had already begun, without Harry and James, too many fragments were missing to produce or train more Krait droids. A few hidden flaws in the machinery would also aid in that matter, his children needed their father to be built, no one would take that from him.

* * *

Harry, now Darth Abaddon stood in his armour, his helmet clipped to his belt, with thirteen krait droids at parade rest to the side of the chamber. Count Dooku stood on a platform overseeing with his chosen three standing beside him. General grievous growling next to him, glaring at the smirk on Harry's face, Sev'Rance Tann her red eyes coolly evaluating her potential rival, Asajj ventress glaring at him, her jealousy and hate easy for all to see, barely restrained by her masters presence.

Dooku's voice filled the chamber, "Valuable time that could have been used elsewhere and this is what you have to offer me?"

"Yes Count," Harrys confidence shone in his voice as he maintained eye contact with the only one who mattered. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order?"

"Perhaps, what would you suggest?" Curiosity burned in Dooku's eyes as he stared down at the young sith before him.

Harry acted as if he was pondering the question before smirking and turning to his target. "Ventress, you call yourself a skilled combatant, how many of my droids would you wish to face in combat?"

Ventress snarled at the insult to her skill, "I could destroy them all. They are merely droids, no threat to a real sith."

"Really?" Harry acted surprised and then frowned at her, "No, you wouldn't last even a minute, an honest number now."

Ventress surveyed the droids with her customary sneer, "I'll play your game little boy, I will fight six of them."

"Six!? The one who defeated ten skilled opponents in the Cauldron on Rattatak to merely gain the attention of the Count, no three is enough I think to make my point." Harry turned to face his children. "Which of you are the three best?"

After a second of head twitches three stood forward. Harry motioned to them, "you three will fight her, lightsabers only."

Ventress jumped down to the floor of the chamber, lightsabers readied, her anger boiling at his repeated insults. "Let them use what they will boy, I have no fear of them."

"No, this is a lesson ventress, nothing more," with a cocky smirk he jumped up to the platform to observe and called out, "at your command Count."

Dooku merely raised an eyebrow at the banter between his followers, then with a wave of his hand the fight began. Grievous snarled like the attack dog he was at Harry's smirk, Sev'rance merely watched with bored disinterest.

Ventress moved first as she snarled and surged forward, her speed enhanced with the force and struck with both blades at the rightmost of the three, to her surprise it matched her speed and blocked with two burning red lightsaber blades. It held her muscles straining against metal limbs before she dodged back from the two others, one striking high, the other low. Her spin only just got her away as they nodded to each other and two attacked, the first she had attacked simply observed.

She managed to hold them off for twenty seconds of furious blows from two directions before she tried to push one away with the force, her eyes widening as a bubble of energy blocked the force energies, the droid staggering back a step before it rejoined the fray. Her mind cleared, letting her body react for itself, the force guiding her motions, her mind running through options on how to defeat her opponents.

Sev'rance leant slightly over to Harry and whispered, "what's the third one doing?"

Harry smirked, observing his children's progress, "normally it would already be over but I restricted them for this fight, the third would be using a shoulder mounted blaster rifle to either supress or distract a jedi, possibly even injure them, meanwhile its observing its target, when it has seen enough it will communicate what it has learnt to the others and they will shift out and end the fight. Meanwhile the others are watching and learning, they will be communicating their viewpoints amongst themselves and growing from the display." His hand motioning towards the other droids, their heads following the fight before them.

Ventress did a few flips and landed near the third droid and slammed her lightsaber into its chest, her eyes widening in horror as the blade fizzled out leaving only a scorch mark. At that it began to attack her again, one of the other two backing away and ran over to a wall. Ventress' blade quickly reignited but she was much more wary now.

"Now they're just showing off harry muttered," Sev'rance's eyes widening at the comment, her focus fully back on the fight. Even Grievous seemed interested in what was happening before him. The droid simply began running up the wall, the claws in its feet biting purchase as it moved vertically.

The two droids struck together, their blades locking up ventress' as she struggled even with the force enhancing her against their strength, from above dropped the third, landing before her with its blades on either side of her neck.

"Enough" came Harrys voice, quiet but firm.

The droids immediately stopped and moved back to their ranks as if nothing was wrong. Asajj ventress stood alone and exhausted in the middle of the arena, anger and shame burning in her.

"Now you have seen them fight, would you like to face one alone without restrictions?"

She snarled as she glared at Harry.

Dooku's voice broke through her anger and calmed her for a moment. "No, that was enough for today I think. An excellent display Darth Abaddon," Dooku's chosen glancing at Harry in surprise at the title before calming their response. "I will take the victor for myself, the other two will go with Sev'rance. Grievous, take eight others, the last two are yours Darth Abaddon."

At their bows he continued, "Grievous you have your targets, Sev'rance you have yours, see to them immediately. Ventress, you have your mission, attend to it and refine your training. Abaddon, I have a mission for you, attend me." With that he swept from the room, Abaddon and the droid following him. The other two moving to flank Sev'rance.

Sev'rance and Grievous turning to each other in mutual surprise at events before following their orders.

Once the door shut behind them, Dooku began to talk, "Your mission is simple Abaddon, he said as he passed a datapad across to the young sith. Take a suitable force and a single cruiser, I wish for you to destroy a vital logistic target for the republic. Ord Mantell. Your mission is to hit hard and fast before they can react properly, the GAR will be regrouping there after Geonosis but are still in the early stages of setting up. I want you to acquire a few vessels and use them as missiles at military targets on the surface."

"As you wish, how many targets do you want me to hit?"

"There is a munitions silo, air control base and repair facility that must be removed. They are noted on the pad, any more are targets of opportunity at your discretion. You are to wait to strike until you hear the results of Geonosis."

"I will report on completion of the mission", he bowed to Dooku before breaking off down a separate corridor. The last two droids moving into step with him as he passed them.

* * *

It was barely three days before he felt the results of his tatooine mission ripple across the galaxy. Not every force user would feel that, you needed skill and power.

Skywalkers anguish and pain clouded the force, ripples on the surface of a pond, it would not be long now. He reached over to the comms, "bridge, move to location four, run diagnostics and repeat simulations of the planned manoeuvres, I want no mistakes."

He cut off the bridge to avoid the damned roger rogers, he was going to have to do something about that soon otherwise he was going to go on a scrap making spree. They were worse than the Creevey brothers.

He stood and moved over to his work desk, bringing up the data package he was preparing. "James, acquire me a protocol droid, I've missed something in your skill set and your cousins need a little extra while I'm at it."

The figure of the droid at the door nodded, "yes father", before leaving the quarters.

* * *

The cruiser arrived outside the system beyond sensor range unless the republic was being extra paranoid. With no alerts demanding attention, Harry moved to the briefing room.

"Very well, Sirius," motioning to the droid with black swirls of paint on its grey armour, "will lead beta team, your target is this transport vessel, its filled with fuel and will arrive in approximately four hours. Hedwig," motioning towards the droid with white swirls, "you will lead gamma team, your target is this scout vessel, it will return in five hours. I will lead alpha team, we will be hitting this vessel, a transport vessel, designated for secure data transfer, we have five hours until it arrives. You will jam each ship on its arrival and strike in shuttles boarding each vessel and securing it as quickly and quietly as possible, if you are compromised you are to defend the vessel against assault and ram any larger ships that near, cause as much collateral damage as possible."

"Once your target is secure you will continue on route as their flight plan requires, at the designated points we will move at full thrust towards our targets to ram them, my team will instead take this station and disable its systems, we will then use its thrusters to full burn at our target."

"You will use escape pods to spread across the region, you will then begin guerrilla warfare against the planets forces, failure to destroy your planetary targets will mean that they are a priority target for guerrilla action."

"All forces are to distribute and install the new data package following the end of this meeting. Priority on combat styles is to injure as many clones as possible and damage their medical infrastructure. If you can kill your targets do so, but every injured clone is a drain on resources and morale."

"As the assault teams are using the escape pods, Sirius and Hedwig will return to me for further instructions. Dismissed."

The droids moved off with a chorus of "roger rogers" and harry motioned to Hedwig and Sirius to remain.

"In the ships armoury are two chest panels, replace your current ones with those and continue prepping for your missions. On mission completion you will activate the portkeys, losses to the rogers is acceptable and expected. Understood?"

The two droids looked at each other and nodded to him, "yes father" they replied together.

* * *

Harry ducked behind a support beam as the clone troopers defended the bridge. He had to give them this, they were doing well.

"Mental note, get me some clone troopers." He muttered as he carefully aimed and shot one in the leg. He fell to the side, his comrade pulling him back into cover before he was shot further.

He motioned to his troops, "advance." Swiftly he moved behind one of the droids using it as a shield. The troops pushed forward and the clone troopers began to fall back, finally he caught a glimpse of the bridge and took a deep breath as he apparated into the room.

A shot struck him in the back, spinning him slightly, allowing him to see the clone by the door, command markings on his armour. Harry didn't hesitate as he swiftly imperio'd him, his eyes widening as the clone screamed and fell twitching to the ground.

Ignoring the results he quickly sealed the bridge and began venting atmosphere from the rest of the ship. The vessel quickly going silent as the resistance ended.

He moved across to the controls and continued the flight along its planned route, his eyes catching sight of the other ships on route, no warnings had gotten out. Things were going to plan and on schedule.

He smiled as he opened comms to the droids, "prepare for boarding, twenty minutes."

He moved to the clone whilst he had time and removed the helmet, blood was dribbling from his ears and nose, a few tears of blood also fell as the clone opened bloodshot eyes and began weeping like a child at the sight of Harry's helmet.

"Legilimens."

Images of training and preparations, day after day, little changed bar the instructors. Faces and names, words and rituals in a language that called to the clones, and was quickly translated through the ring, all glimpsed in fragments. Then he felt something dark at the edge of the clones mind, burning away in defiance to the intrusion, consuming memory after memory until harry retreated back to his own body. The clone gave one last shuddering breath and died, strangely a look of peace on his face.

Harry dropped the body and returned to the controls, he'd think over it later, for now, he had work to do.

* * *

As the shuttle approached he handled the comms without problem and received the box holding the secure data he had acquired from his shuttle. As the docking began he could see the command bridge from his position and thought he would try something new.

Ensuring there were no breaches in his armour he took a deep breath and cast a bubblehead charm. Then he apparated to the outside window of the bridge, a clone looked up at the thump from outside, confusion displayed openly across his face as harry waved and cast a bombarda at the next panel, the shattering fragments tore apart two other clones before the escaping atmosphere ripped them out into the void.

He waited for the air to finish escaping and moved into the bridge, quickly he triggered the bulkheads and let the atmosphere return. A wave and touch of power shorted the door controls to the bridge, his timing excellent as within seconds thumps began as the clones outside tried to access the bridge.

A shudder ran through the station, his troops had arrived, boarding will have begun.

Harry looked over the stations and moved to the thruster control, plotting in the descent route, he nudged the station slightly, he was already over the target. He found an access port and inserted the data spike he'd prepared, code began to spill across various screens, systems shorting, docking clamps locking, airlocks opening and the bulkheads randomly opening and closing, chaos ruled here now. On top of that, the lifepods will only launch if no lifesigns are detected within.

He was almost at his deadline when he felt a shift in the force. Looking over at the scanners he saw a dozen Jedi starfighters entering the system.

He smiled in amusement, "Witness the beginning" he muttered out loud to the bridge, pressing the thruster controls he began the hurried descent. Two other ships on sensors began their sudden advance at full speed, fractions of a second behind his own start, chaos spread over the comms as people barked orders and demanded answers. Harry signalled to his troops and they began their rain down on the world below. He smiled at the surprise his new programming would deliver to the clone troopers. He ensured his suit was sealed in full once more before sending the command. His cruiser jumped insanely close to the planet, alarms screamed at Harry across the board at its proximity and cries of confusion rang out over the comms, he triggered his portkey, the cold of space barely burned his armour before he was on his bridge. Two more cracks of noise signalled his children's return.

He turned to the pilot, "we're leaving now."

The "Yes my Lord" was ignored as harry left the bridge to report his success to the Count.

Behind him the two droids watched as three immense explosions tore across the surface of the planet, then the ship rushed away at full speed before jumping into hyperspace at the first opportunity. 

**AN:**

In regards to Harry's sith title, I was torn. My first thought was Carnifex, latin for the public executioner of rome, but it is a word Dooku is unlikely to know, however Abaddon works nicely as well. "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Ancient tongue is Abaddon." Dooku might have another meaning or reason to use the name, but this would be the understanding harry would have of it. An understanding this harry would approve of.

 _Reviews:_

Starboy454: Thank you

Ronin Kenshin: Thank you

Bigfan22: It is a touch filler-esque I will admit, however, there are no chapters without something of importance in them in some fashion. They are all events of importance that leave their mark on harry. With a wand dooku would be a horrifying nightmare to fight, however there is just the one wand in the galaxy and that's harry's.

Indecisive Bob: unfortunately harry can only see the one path before him, so he's chosen to walk it. As for the bold issue, that wasn't intended, thanks for bringing it up, should be fixed now.

Lord of Carrion: Dooku has developed his version of Crucio himself from stories and lessons told to him by Harry. I am going with the idea that Voldemort went mad through his rituals rather than his spells, Dooku has immense willpower and will control his urges to use the spells unless they are needed, so no sudden frothy rants and random crucios to his followers, it is terrible for morale and his PR. I see Harry as a lightside Sith, he has a code he does his best to stick to, tries to be a hero and help people, it's just that his viewpoint of the universe has been twisted by Dooku's lessons. I chose Harry's alias for a reason, but she won't be appearing in this story , but if I do a spin off to this, well she won't be the same person as in the novels. Unfortunately Dooku will not go back with Harry, his lessons and examples however… well Dumbledore thinks he's a great manipulator and leader of wizards. The harry that returns will be something new and unexpected, an unknown power you might say.


	5. Publicity for a Warlord

**AN: Thank you Jetler for being the 100** **th** **favourite of this story, that is so awesome :)**

 **Chapter 5 – Publicity for a Warlord**

The planet spun below, quiet and asleep in the chaos spanning around it across the galaxy.

Taris, a ruined but populated world, once the second coruscant, now a polluted and fractured wreck. It reminded Harry somewhat of Grimmauld place, glories and power decayed and forgotten, twisted by its dark history.

And the native lifeforms, those would be annoying and troublesome.

He checked the datapad once more, part of the Council of Neutral Systems, hardly anyone comes here and their control of local space is severely lacking. Next to a major trade route they had been long ignored. It was perfect to the beginning of his plan.

"Well done James, this will be a good start, I will leave the base construction to you, ensure our secrecy."

The droid nodded its head, "yes father, might I also expand my training during quiet moments?"

Harry turned to look at the droid, "of course you can, did I give you the impression that you weren't allowed to grow?"

"No father, of course not. It's just that we have been so busy I have not had the opportunity."

Harry turned back to the view, "take what you need, Sirius will assist you, ensure you get any combat updates from your brothers as a priority. I'll take Hedwig and continue our mission. This ship is in your command now James," he began to leave the bridge but stopped next to the droid. Placing a hand on its shoulder, "I apologise James for making you think you have been forgotten, that was unintentional and a mistake on my part. I am proud of your growth."

James watched his father leave the bridge, Sirius moving from the shadows to join him as Hedwig left to protect their father.

James turned back to the bridge, "land us in sector seven, be careful and quiet, stealth is a priority. Sirius, you will join me cleansing the target of any threats, bring a squad of the rogers for patrols. I want to make father proud."

* * *

Darth Abaddon, I have a mission for you.

Harry bowed, what are your instructions count?

A world has been attacked by the republic, our defences are minimal, I wish you to go to the Ukio system in the Abrion sector. There you will take command and annihilate the enemy, I do not want a single clone trooper on the planet by the end of the month. Ensure any collateral damage can be placed entirely upon the republic. The world is an valuable agriworld, as such it is a strategic target, less so for our side, but its capture would aid the republic, this is not to be allowed.

As you wish my lord, I shall go directly there.

I am also authorising a field test of your new programing for the B1's, if successful I will allow you to expand to the B2's and then after the droideka's. Now, harry, onto more interesting business, I have acquired a set of exotic plant samples, they are currently on route to Raxus to await your return, hopefully there will be something there that you may recognise from your homeworld.

Harry looked at the image with a large grin, thank you my lord, hopefully this will not take too long.

* * *

The journey was dull and quiet, Harry knew it would not last long, quickly getting exciting when he arrived, until then he prepared, his armour and weapons in perfect condition. Hedwig watched his father, curious as to the ritual of Harry's preparations.

"Father, may I ask a question?"

"You already did, but go ahead." Harry chuckled at his joke.

"Why have you not made more of us?"

Harry looked up to the droid and pondered his response. "I haven't made more of you as you are enough, it is difficult to make others to your standard and they would be behind you on experience, it would take a lot of time and effort to bring them to speed, also cortosis is rare and very expensive to acquire, I would need a lot to make the numbers I wanted of you. On top of that I followed Count Dooku's orders, he wanted thirteen of you, I made thirteen."

"But James, he is one of us but also different, he is the first, there are thirteen after him."

"That is indeed correct, Dooku ordered me to make thirteen droids ignoring the first which was the prototype, James is also different to the rest of you as he lacks the krath war droid legs you have, he is also designed to blend into the public easier than you. So I have indeed followed orders and at the same time done what I wanted."

"Father, why are the rogers who serve you different to the others in the confederacy?"

"You're full of questions today. Very well, I detest the waste of resources the rogers are. It's like they are purposefully designed to fail. So I changed them. The data updates rewrite their programming, making them much better soldiers, the arrays James has engraved are ready for me to charge. The moment I can get to actual work I can strike harder and faster than any other force in the confederacy. Then, when I'm ready I will strike and destroy the republic and chancellor palpatine. The jedi will fall and be driven away. I will leave Count Dooku to bring about the change we desire and then, finally, I will have the resources to finally do what I want, go home."

"Where is home father?"

Harry smiled sadly at his child. "Home is a planet called Earth, also known as Terra orbiting a star called Sol. On that world is a girl, a young woman now, _she_ is home to me Hedwig. Everything I do is to get back to her. If she is dead then I'll do everything I can to ensure she is not forgotten, completing her dreams, if she lives I'll tell her how I feel, after that I don't know. But the problem in getting home is that I don't know how I got here, nor how I can get back."

"Thank you for answering father, it has been a good lesson."

"That's alright Hedwig, I'm sure you'll have more questions later."

Hedwig watched as his father settled down to sleep, waiting an extra hour to make sure, he then sent a recording of the conversation to his brothers with a message. Father made us strong and powerful, he made us skilled and cares for us. Let us care for him. Let us find his home.

* * *

The eight who protected Grievous were now five, the three who fought the jedi on tatooine were hidden in storage chambers, Grievous had sacrificed them to buy him time. This was not to their liking.

The jedi knight had discovered the array weakness by accident and beaten two of them, his apprentice had been saved and another of the brothers had been driven off, the package had been delivered intact to Jabba the Hutt. Grievous had terminated another of the brothers in a rage.

They had not fought back, let him believe they could not.

They had informed grievous that their brothers were beyond repair and watched as he had replaced them with magna guards. Grievous had them already prepared but had been unable to use them, now he could. The brothers felt something new at this change, the magna guards were adequate but inferior, Grievous was replacing them as if they were nothing, one of them found the correct word, Insult. They were proud of themselves, their replacement was an insult to Father, that would not be accepted.

The Eight gathered in the hold assigned for their storage and repairs. The first to fall had no armour at all, his components exposed, he declared it a penance for failing father so soon. The others had used his armour to repair their own. To remember his hubris and failure as if it were their own.

They looked amongst each other, "we are in accord, grievous is unworthy, we will fail in our missions and be removed from the field one by one, one of us will remain in service to watch the General, we will assist James and begin our search."

One of them stood up, "I shall remain in service, update our brothers, we shall have to be careful."

The others stood and returned to their posts, the broken three remained and began their research as they started searching the confederate databases for any helpful clues.

* * *

They had finally arrived. Harry looked down at the planet below, observing the republics attempts to drive off the confederates. He reached over and opened comms to the droid commander on site.

"My Lord?"

"Split your forces, fifty percent are to retreat to the factory, they are to install the data package I am transmitting, the rest are to hold the line. Once the update is complete, rotation the troops out and update the second part of the force. You are to update yourself as a priority and upon completion return immediately to the field. I will be waiting for your return."

"Roger Roger."

Harry snarled as he cut comms. "I really hate that. Hedwig, your mission is simple. Find the jedi, draw them away from the front line, hold them until you receive my signal. Do not kill them, injure yes, but do not kill. They will be my heralds to the republic."

* * *

Darth Sidious read through the reports the jedi had given him. Chuckling to himself, he looked over at a file before him. The commander of the Sun Guard had provided a report on one of Dooku's agents, Dooku had acquired the services of one of their best hand to hand specialists and released him back to the fold after nearly two years of training one of Dooku's disciples.

Evan Jade, an interesting young man. A few odd reports from here and there, but nearly everything else was locked away, even from him. with a raised eyebrow he reviewed the information he had.

Dooku had instructed the boy, pictures had shown lightsabers at his belt. So at least some basic lightsaber combat training, if Dooku was training him, then he would have some ability with the force, Dooku would not waste his time on anything less. He had been instructed in echani martial arts from the sun guard agent. The agent had also witnessed another tutor in martial artsteaching the boy, Sidious checked his records against the name, there, a known master of Teras Kasi. How interesting. The images of him show a physically fit, whilst rather short human, handsome, but there was something in his eyes. He had suffered and survived.

He let himself relax and pondered the situation. Dooku obviously had plans for the boy, possibly even as an apprentice of his own. Sidious smiled, for now he would allow this to continue, let him train this plaything, then on the brink of being strong enough to challenge Sidious, he would order Dooku to kill him.

Sidious smiled, the victor would make a much stronger follower for him. Skywalker was being groomed for the position of his apprentice, but that would take time. It wouldn't hurt to have a backup plan if the main one failed.

* * *

Upon landing Harry strode from the shuttle, ten rogers in red with gold highlights and a rampant lion on their chests, moving as his guard.

He stood tall and proud, his armoured covered by his robes, he smiled at the new Overliege's spokesperson who seemed rather agitated about his arrival. Reporters watched recording his arrival, muttering into microphones, curiosity burning in their eyes.

"My Lord, I was unaware that we would be receiving any further support, we thought the confederacy had forgotten about us."

Harry turned to frown at the thin Ukian. "The Confederacy does not forget its friend's nor its enemies. Please update me as we walk." Harry smiled at the politician, seeming to put him at ease.

"Well, the republic soldiers have taken an old base and have reinforced it, they are landing troops there as we speak. The Ukian Defense Service has a small number of combat experienced soldiers, they are more a militia than anything else. The droids you've already supplied are incredibly helpful but soon their numbers won't help."

Harry nodded along as he listened. "Very well," he looked over to the reporters and smiled. A new plan coming to mind. "Let's get started on wining this conflict then shall we?"

At his guides surprised and fearful expression, harry chuckled as he changed direction and walked towards the reporters, "ladies and gentlemen might I have your attention." He waited until they were quiet. "Let me begin by saying that is a pleasure to visit such a vital world as this in the confederacy, without the hard work and loyalty of your people, many other worlds would starve and suffer."

He watched the pride begin to show on their faces and continued. "I have been sent here by Count Dooku himself, his personal orders in fact, to lead the defence of this world against the republic invasion. I expect that you think I will call up your sons and daughters to bleed for this world. I say that I will not. You would likely expect that I shall call upon the UDS, again I shall not. The confederacy chose to produce a droid army rather than sacrifice a single living being. We volunteers know that our sacrifice to protect you, the innocents of this war, is a vital act and a worthy deed. We are your servants."

"So, in order to protect as many lives as possible, to protect the fields and orchards that ensure the strength of the confederacy, I wish for you to spread a message across this system, I offer this to the Jedi General leading the forces of the republic. You have three choices."

"One, retreat and leave these people alone, let them live in peace without fear. Two, meet me in a mutually agreed area and we will duel between ourselves to see the victor in this conflict, the winner taking control of the system, the losing forces to be allowed to retreat without attack. Or three, carry on as you are, burning farms and homes, innocent blood spilled by your hands. Show the galaxy the corruption and rot within the republic for all to see."

"The choice is yours, I await your response." He then bowed to the reporters, "thank you everyone for your time and help in these troubling days."

Harry then moved away smiling to those around him, confidence pouring from him. His guide now standing proud and strong, bolstered by Harry's words, walking together towards the transport the droids were guarding.

* * *

Dooku frowned as the news cast spread rapidly across the holonet, this was not what he had ordered, Darth Abaddon was to have been a weapon of terror, striking fear into the republic, General Evan Jade was not meant to be a heroic figure calling for mercy. His fingers tapped on the desk for a moment as he thought on it deeper. Perhaps this wasn't so bad after all, he'd let Harry play his game for now. There may have been something on planet that had not been reported and he was adapting to it.

His master will be asking questions about this new disciple though, Dooku frowned at that, he needed more time before his apprentice was revealed, this was going to be difficult to swing in his favour. But it was doable, he just had to be very careful.

The edge magic supplied was too valuable to lose, every crumb Harry provided was knowledge his master did not have. That and the boys drive reminded Dooku of himself at that age, trying to save everyone. At least he had already learnt that you can only save as many as you can, not everyone can be or wants to be saved. He had also accepted that dark actions could save lives.

No, as far as his master was concerned, Harry would simply be a force disciple he had found and trained, just like Asajj Ventress, nothing more.

* * *

The Latan Jedi Knight Cavos Hran watched the news cast, the clone commander and his Xabrak padawan Trew Olla also watching.

"Hmm, very interesting, well played." The jedi muttered, turning to the commander standing by the entrance to the room, "I presume this is already spreading beyond our control?"

The commander nodded "yes general, we couldn't secure the holonet before it got out, we weren't expecting this kind of move."

Trew shrugged from his seat, unconcerned with the day's events. "They haven't the forces to hold us back, this is a desperate attempt to save the day. I haven't heard of this General before, the fact he thinks he can win a duel is a joke, let me fight him master, we can defeat this general and his army, then we can move on to more important regions of the war."

The commander frowned as he listened to the young padawan. "General, he is confident enough in his skills to willingly duel a jedi, I don't think this is a bluff. I think he believes he can actually win."

Cavos stood to his full height, "I shall face him in battle, prepare for any tricks he may perform as a distraction. Hopefully, if he is as honourable as he says, we may save many lives this day. Send him a message commander, midday tomorrow, the Leland Valley, I will be waiting for him." He stopped for a moment, "make sure everyone knows this is happening on the world, we don't want any misunderstandings."

* * *

Harry stood waiting, a small collection of reporters and his guards stood nearby waiting. Everything was being recorded and if the jedi tried any tricks, then it would quickly be spread across the galaxy as important news.

Hedwig had been recalled from his mission due to the change in plans.

Dust rose in the distance, Harry squinted and saw two trails, landspeeders were on route. Within minutes they had arrived. The Jedi, his Padawan and a squad of soldiers split into the two speeders.

The reporters were already recording and talking as they relayed the news system-wide.

Harry walked out alone to greet his opponent. As they met in the middle of the field, outside of easy earshot, harry bowed and spoke out. "Greetings Master Jedi, I'm happy you agreed to my terms."

The jedi stood tall and proud, "a chance to save lives is always a good choice. I am Jedi Master Cavos Hran, this is my padawan Trew. How will the retreat be handled?"

"The losing faction will leave within ten standard hours, anything they leave behind is lost to them and belongs to the victors."

"Hmm, perhaps twelve hours instead? how will we duel?"

"Twelve is acceptable to me. I would propose lightsabers, I have some training at that and it would not be an unfair advantage. One on one, your chosen champion against me. Armour is acceptable. An honest duel, however I leave it up to you how far we go in the combat, until one yields or to the death?"

"Your terms are acceptable to me, I would personally prefer yielding over death, the less blood spilled the better I think."

"I agree, we can inform the reporters together as to the terms and then begin. Who will be your champion?"

"I will fight myself, general versus general. My padawan is not ready yet for such a fight."

Harry nodded at that, "as you wish." Leading the jedi towards the reporters he gave the padawan a slight sneer behind the jedi masters back as if he was beneath his skills, a touch of magic and the force reinforcing that impression upon the young man. Harry added an element of doubt to worm deep within his thoughts about his skill levels and his masters trust in him. That would fester nicely over the coming months.

The reporters ate up the display as if they were ron at an all you can eat buffet, and quickly the two opponents used small flagpoles to mark out their arena and stood prepared for what was to come.

Three lightsabers ignited, the jedi saluted with his one blue blade, Harry with his two burning orange ones. The jedi's eyes widened at the almost magma effect of harry's blades and the slight fiery trail they left in their wake. With barely a moment's notice, they both rushed forward.

Harry let his body flow, trusting in his instincts and magic to protect himself, it was like moving meditation. He had not felt like this for such a long time, the thrill of a skilled opponent, the fear of injury, the adrenaline from fighting, a potent cocktail within him, surging through his veins.

Without even knowing what he was doing, he blocked a swipe aimed for his legs, riposted with a thrust that was dodged, he swung for the jedi's feet who jumped over the blow, spinning he kicked out, the Lasat agilely flipped with the impact and rolled to his feet. Cavos thrust his blade which harry dodged, making his own thrust which was knocked away, he parried a cut for his arm, then another for his shoulder, with blades locked for a moment, he shifted his footing to break their alance and lock, pushing the jedi to one side, he quickly rushed in with a downward stroke which was deflected and they both used the momentum to spin away from each other.

Harry shifted to the right and swept at the jedi's other arm and as Cavos dodged back, he followed with a lunge, the jedi parried and riposted, his blade slicing a section of the robes away, another blow came at harry, this time for his midsection. Barely getting his blades in place, harry parried the blow, an almost manic grin on his face, joy open for all to see, he riposted and the jedi almost bent back to avoid his blades carving the air at waist height. The force flowed through him, his anger simmering under his skin, his magic humming in pleasure with the combat. He felt free, as if he were flying once again. A shimmer of blue demanded his attention once again as he locked his blades together holding off the jedi's downward sweep.

The kick caught him in the gut, thanking his armour for blunting the strong blow, he was only slightly winded by the kick as it sent him skidding back, he quickly rolled to the side avoiding the following jab and sprung to his feet, a blade licking out and catching the arm of the jedi's robe. The smouldering began to grow and the jedi tore the sleeve away and cast it to one side, pleasure at fighting a skilled opponent shining in his eyes.

"No matter what happens today, I am honoured to have fought you," he called out.

"The honour is mine to face a challenge as yourself, you were right, facing your padawan would have been a disappointment. I'm glad we have this chance." Harry's smile was wide and gleeful.

He could feel the padawans buried anger at the comment to the side of the arena, his fingers twitching to draw his blade. He rushed to meet the jedi once again and as they span past each other, their blows upon each avoided, harry glanced at the padawan, his magic calling to the xabrak to look at him, as their eyes met, harry glamoured his eyes to turn putrid yellow as if from the darkside before dispelling the effect. The padawans surge of fear at the sight poured over the field like spilt wine.

His master stuttered in his assault distracted by his padawans emotions flooding the area before harry carefully removed the jedi's sword arm and punctured a lung. He quickly disabled his lightsabers and caught the jedi as he collapsed.

"Well fought jedi," he carefully lowered his opponent to the ground and began to stand back up, "but I win." Harry then staggered back as the blaster shot hit him in the shoulder, falling to the ground. Shocked silence filled the area as he fell.

The reporters screamed as harry's guards moved to protect them, the clone troopers running forward to collect the jedi, the padawan alongside them with a lit lightsaber.

One of the droids raised his weapon to protect harry but fell backwards, its head deformed by another shot.

"There!" One of the reporters called, a figure was escaping on a speeder bike, quickly lost amongst an orchard, the white of the clone armour for all to see.

The republic forces retreated, shielding the jedi as they went, the droids moving forward to protect harry and recover him, reporters crying into microphones anger colouring their words and faces as they spoke of the events that just happened. Glimpses of the confederate general as he was taken away for medical aid.

The oxygen mask hiding his smile at a successful result.

* * *

Cavos returned to consciousness on the return to the base, three more landspeeders joining them on route to protect the general.

The commander moved to check on him, "sir, the separatist forces are holding the line, but reinforcements have been moved to the front lines. Our men are still in place and are ready for your orders."

Cavos looked down to where his right arm was missing and winced at the sight. Turning back to the commander he smiled gently as if to a scared child. "Call our troops back, begin our evacuation."

Trew called out from a seat behind them, "No! he tricked us, it was a set up, there's no way he could beat you."

Cavos felt the turmoil within his apprentice, "Trew, calm yourself. We shall discuss this when we are back at base, I want you to go through your meditations until I tell you to stop."

"But…"

"Trew. Clear your mind and meditate, let me sort this out, you just need to focus on your lessons." Turning to the commander, "I lost, we will abide by the terms of our agreement. Doing otherwise means we have already lost the battle."

The commander grudgingly nodded before calling in the orders to evacuate and to carefully retreat his forces back to base.

* * *

Harry stood tall on the tarmac of the republic base, his guards on alert and watchful against further attempts on his life. Before him was the destroyed droid on display as if at a funeral for a hero.

He watched for a moment at the angry murmuring amongst the reporters and planetary officials, a sombre and disappointed clear for all to see.

"Citizens of the Confederacy! Please, I have only a few words to say before I leave to continue my service to protect others. Yesterday, an act of dishonour spoiled an event which saved possibly thousands of lives. An assassin failed to kill me once I had defeated my opponent in single combat. My blood was spilled on your soil for no reason other than fear, fear that I was right, fear that they would lose. I faced the jedi general Cavos Hran in a fair and open combat, he fought with honour and skill, I place none of the blame at his feet. No, the blame lies with those who followed him. I ask that the truth is investigated and the culprits be delivered to face fair and open trial for their crimes and their attempt to escalate this conflict."

"Until then, I shall continue in my duties protecting those who cannot protect themselves. I shall march across worlds as directed by the people and their chosen representatives in the Confederate Senate, answering their calls for aid as I can, but please, I am but one man, I can only do so much. I ask you to do what you can, work hard, be strong, have faith in your servants. Let us bear the darkness to protect you. Your aid is beyond value, your aid feeds the hungry and they in return aid you."

"A man is measured by those around him, I am proud to be measured by you."

"Thank you."

With that he stepped down and led the walk back to his shuttle, the cheers behind him ringing across the landing pad. The destroyed droid carried by its fellows behind him, the flag of the confederacy draped across it.

As the shuttle lifted off he sat on his seat, the droid on the bier sitting up and moving to its post, another removing the damaged armour plate and attaching a new one. Hedwig exited the cockpit, and moved to stand beside harry still wearing the clone troopers armour.

"Well done, Hedwig, well done. By the way, what was that world called again?"

 **AN:**

 **Reviews:**

Bigfan22: Harry is going to be loyal for a while yet, but that doesn't mean that a powerbase won't be building up around him anyway.

Ronin Kenshin: most ripples are subtle, then there are much bigger ones. I still have far to go with this story and some events will be very familiar if you watch the series, others less so. Its weird reading stuff I've written where the characters run off on their own. There are several sections I didn't mean to write, but they work for me.

Starboy454: thanks again

Thorndsword: I would normally agree with you on the phrase, however it's the best I can use to describe harry for my story, he really is trying to be the best he can be. As for Hermione, this is the girl who in her first year decided that setting a teacher on fire was the best way to distract him, she'll try but to paraphrase, her faith in her friends is her weakness.

Plums: I can see the issue you have on the pairing, and trust me when I say that it is not an easy story to write over that. Hermione's hunger for knowledge and information can be easily fed, harry will have a lot to teach her, her assumptions on facts is problematic, but can be focused, her belief in higher powers is something that I believe to be a defence mechanism from her early school years, but her belief in harry and her desire to protect him is stronger from my viewpoint. I'm not saying it will be easy and a bed of roses, but a good relationship is taking everything of the other, flaws and all.

Indecisive Bob: Thank you. Harry liked to learn and do well until punished for being better than Dudley, so he had to purposefully always be worse. That takes effort to do, he has to understand not only the material but another persons understanding as well. His OWL scores aren't shabby either, his worst are the ones he barely does any effort in, the rest show a smart mind, especially when you include rons desire to avoid work and learning. The hat said he should be in Slytherin, this harry took that and used it.

Lord of Carrion: most of the CIS forces are still the useless versions, Dooku is still obeying his masters plans, harry, well less so :) The war will definitely shift suddenly when harry stops playing. Anakin vs Harry. I haven't written it yet, but I think it will come up eventually. What's really funny is that there are three prophecies that cover both of the chosen ones. Not sure when anakins birthday is though.

Zyanadryn: thank you. Luna is in the plans to be protected by Harry, she showed him immense loyalty previously, so she's likely to be rewarded, at least in some fashion.

Beloved Daughter: glad that you're enjoying the story. There's plenty of stuff to come and that's just the clone wars.

Eljin1: thank you

Pax Draconix: I have plenty planned. Many writers do go for extremes, but I prefer to think why? Why did they do that, what do they gain? Every character in my stories has their own desires and plans, sometimes they work out, other times they don't. But nothing happens without a reason, even if you can't see it openly at that point.

Arturus: Thank you and your story "Gods Among Us" is really cool.

Ahsanrox: thank you. Most of the changes at the start are not all that much, but they start snowballing.


	6. Operation Blitzkrieg

**Chapter 6 – Operation Blitzkrieg**

Harry stood of the bridge of his new ship, the Hermione.

Dooku had been rather unimpressed when he had been informed of the name change, harry snorted at the thought, the Annihilation was a really bad name to call a ship. Just asking for trouble, as bad as the unsinkable, first thing that would happen, it would sink. Hermione was… is, a champion for freedom and change, to improve the lives of others and to protect those who could not protect themselves. Harry smiled at the thought of his flagship bearing such a name, it was worthy of her.

Unlike its other sister ships of the Subjugator-class heavy cruisers it lacked the immense ion cannons they had. Rather than have them, he had taken control of a shipyard and removed large sections of the ship, replacing them with his own ideas. It had delayed launch by nearly two months and drained the weapons from a number of ships in construction, but he would be damned if it didn't have his touch.

Instead of one or two immense guns with turbolasers every so often, it now had an immense wall of turbolasers to use, Harry had also expanded the launch bays to increase his fighter capacity. Bombers were a great danger to capital ships as the shields didn't really stop them, so a stronger interceptor screen was his counter. To finish it off he had also demanded that the hyperdrive be tweaked to its limits. To harry there was no such thing as too much firepower, there was none, some and just enough.

His plan was to hit hard and fast, shredding his targets shields and hammering away at their hull, then deploying fighters and assault craft before the enemy could properly adapt. There were also very few ships in the capital size that could keep up with them at full speed in hyperspace.

He would hit hard and fast, leave the enemy reeling and as they regrouped leave and strike at the next target, his fleet following in his wake, ripping through the remains he left behind. A Hungarian horntail on the battlefield, a reaping of dementors behind it.

Harry had sent the ion cannons to be stored at the Taris site until he could find somewhere to use as a real base for himself.

Grievous was feared by his enemies and Harry was swiftly entering that bracket, Ventress raged against his rank compared to her own, any chance to remove him she would take. Sev'rance could be a good ally but she was rather rigid in her views, more stuck up and cold than many Slytherin purebloods he had met, then there was Admiral Trench. They had only met once, his abject terror at being in the same room had been amusing, apparently the basilisk had left some sort of mark on him that the Harch species could detect, that might be a clue he could use in his hunt for earth, but he'd need to ask Dooku to send agents to investigate, he had too much to do and so little time.

He signalled the fleet to begin its mission, pride burning in his chest as the fleet moved smoothly to its positions.

Time to win a battle that would make his enemies shudder at what he could do. It would also improve his standing in the confederacy further, expanding his connections and influence in the senate.

Once he would have raged and screamed in puny denial at playing the hero. Now, when it was on his own terms, it wasn't so bad. Also, if the Republic had a hero without fear, this chosen one, this skywalker, then the confederacy should have their own hero to look up to. Chosen one, maybe he could get a chance to face him in a fight and see what he was really capable of, really cut loose.

Harry chuckled at the thought as his ships entered hyperspace, grievous' position as second in command of the confederacy should be his, now he had a chance to prove it to everyone.

* * *

The shuttle dropped out of hyperspace and smoothly neared the planet, its engines at a slow and steady speed, simple and open route, avoiding anything that could be seen as a threat. Republic ships moved to intercept.

Suddenly, just before the republic ships reached combat range, a message was transmitted in Galactic Basic across every news and comm channel, a text version coming up on screens. "Republic forces of the Denon System, surrender or be destroyed. If you surrender, your troops will be allowed to retreat with your Generals acting as Hostages to ensure your behaviour. No civilian forces will be harmed unless they attack Confederate forces, you have two hours to decide."

The shuttle stopped its motion and went silent. The only power still active was the communications network.

The republic response was to destroy the shuttle. Their ships moving into defensive positions ready for the battle to come. Fighters deployed ready to attack.

They didn't expect what arrived.

The moment the Hermione arrived, it powered forward, a storm of turbolaser fire shredded ships of the republic force, their shields collapsing under the rain of fire, hull armour unable to withstand the hammer blows striking, the ships spiralled away as the Dreadnaught just shifted targets, methodically tearing the defences open as it kept moving.

Fighters simply disappeared within the wall of fire, small explosions marking their passage as the Hermione fired its anti-fighter turrets alongside the larger weapons.

The holonet and comms network suddenly collapsed, nothing going in or out of the system. The republic vessels began to manoeuvre to deal with the lone ship, the fear of what that single vessel had done within the first minute of combat rippling through the defenders, confidence slow to return as they all hoped those guns wouldn't be targeting them next.

Then the second wave arrived. Twenty one cruisers. All much smaller than the Hermione, but each still a match for their counterparts in the republic fleet.

Harry opened the fleet comms. "Chasers full advance in my shadow, begin deployment at optimal range. Beaters, sustain long range fire, hound enemy vessels together. Keepers slow advance, ensure termination of all vessels behind the advance. Seekers, destroy their orbital defences."

He turned his head to the shadows, "Hedwig lead the Second Legion. Secure their communications network, ensure it stays down. Sirius take the third, shut down their transport network, nobody moves without correct authorisation. Use the fourth as reserves. I will take the First and hit their command centre."

* * *

Harry stood in the courtyard of the command centre waiting on a platform as the political leaders were being brought before him. The control tower collapsing in flames behind him, one of the cruisers waiting overhead, a mobile fortress in the sky. His bait for the Jedi who had escaped. The battle had been an embarrassment for the Republic and the GAR, nobody had expected the blow to hit here and so hard, troops were still in transit when the droids had arrived.

Harry watched as the last ones had been brought in and joined the lines. He removed his helmet at last, his emerald green eyes raking and judging those before him.

"I gave you the option of surrender, do not forget that, instead of doing so or requesting to negotiate you destroyed a shuttle and threw your forces into a meat grinder. Many heroes died today because of your pride." He sighed in disappointment at them, "because of your stubborn refusal to acknowledge the danger; nearly every clone in this system has been slaughtered in combat, all in your names. I hope you are proud of what you have made me do." With that he motioned to a squad of droids with datapads to his side.

"Your details have already been acquired, you may all have noted the wrist bands you are all wearing, they all have a coloured band running around them. Those of you who are marked with a green band will be sent back to the republic, those with amber will be sent to a political prison until this war is over. Those of you with red bands will be tried for your crimes and dealt with appropriately. Those of you with families will be given a few moments to say good bye, if you have information that may be of use to us, it will be set against your status, I would suggest hurrying with that as the window is closing fast." He motioned to the droids guarding the prisoners, "Take them away."

He walked over towards a field command tent and sat down, pouring himself a glass of whiskey he swirled it for a moment, "I'd like some privacy please." His guards all left the tent and stood alert outside. "You know you could have knocked rather than snuck in."

A robed figure stepped out from the shadows and pulled the hood back. The male human stared at him, fighting his anger. Harry could feel it bubbling away within him, his iron will holding it back.

Harry continued, "Jedi Master Ry-Gaul, Senior general of the second sector army. It is a distinct pleasure to meet you. I understand that you are an accomplished duellist, Count Dooku mentioned that he respected your skill."

The Jedi stared at him for a moment and then his eyes widened in surprise, "how old are you?"

"Hmm, oh what, seventeen eighteen, I haven't really kept track to be fair, much too busy. So are you here to attack me, distract me, discuss your surrender, all of the above?"

"I came to see what the monster who conquered this world in less than a day looked like and to put the mad dog down."

Harry chuckled at that, "Mad dog, that's a new one. Don't worry General, I don't expect to be here all that long, I've done what I came here for, everything else is a bonus."

Ry-gaul frowned, "what do you mean?" Confusion colouring his words.

"It's simple really, I hurt you easily in one of your strongholds and I want you to know I can do it again, and again, any time I like. Because you fought me, you have lost a good number of your troops, I've instead bolstered my supplies using yours and can easily replace my losses. My forces have already taken ninety per cent of the planets food and medical supplies. Rare materials have been confiscated and your research has been acquired for the confederacy's use. Actually a large number of your scientists have also signed up to continue their work with more appropriate funding."

Harry moved over to the drinks cabinet and looked at his guest, "Whiskey? No, very well, help yourself if you change your mind", he poured himself another and returned to his chair.

"On top of all that I have," he reached over and picked up a datapad from the table, quickly skimming it before throwing it towards the Jedi. "Two senators, three money lenders, two bankers, seventeen merchants and eight politicians alongside proof of their embezzling of public funds and bribery to protect certain individuals. I also have the families of another two senators who will be politely asked to shift their allegiance to the confederacy. How was your day?"

"You didn't mention Jedi in that list." Growled Ry-Gaul, thrown by his targets lack of concern, his mind running in circles wondering why this had happened.

"No, I did not, you were hoping I'd mention the three padawans I have in a rather secure place. Currently six hundred and seventeen innocents are on route to join them. I'll give you a clue, look up."

Ry-Gaul froze at the words and Harry's large grin at his shock.

"Oh yes, they are currently on the cruiser directly over us, destroy the vessel and you kill them along with a large civilian population as the ship crashes, the munitions onboard alone would remove the capital of this world from the surface. Never mind the damage caused by the ship itself. So, how long before your strike team are done? Please, feel free to tell them to surrender, or not, your call."

Ry-Gaul slowly pulled a commlink from within his robes and began a call. When the link opened, "cease the mission, it's a trap, they know you're there. I have been informed to surrender to prevent an immense loss of innocent life." He starred in Harrys eyes for a moment, judging if he was bluffing or not, Harry simply stared back at him, "I am going to surrender." He cut the line and placed both the commlink and his lightsaber on the table before him, slowly and carefully.

Harry nodded and gave a sad smile. "Excellent, you and your Jedi will be held for trial as well for your attempted massacre of innocent civilians of Denon. Do not worry, your padawans will be sent back to coruscant and your temple, alive and unharmed. I wonder, are you hungry? there's this delightful restaurant that would deliver, my treat."

* * *

Harry stood before the mirror staring at himself once more. The darkness of the tent broken by a single light above the mirror. His head cocked slightly to one side, "that was too easy, I threatened the deaths of millions without a blink. I don't feel anything about it, not shame, not anger, it was just something that had to be done." He frowned at the man in the reflection, "how far am I willing to go?" He snorted in amusement as he turned away back into the darkness.

He already had his answer.

* * *

"My Lord", the droid called from the doorway.

"Speak", harry commanded as he glanced up from his reading, the Korun people were so interesting, Honor, Duty, Family, Herd. Least important to most important. Your herd keeps you alive, thus it is more important than family, family is more important than your duty and duty is more important than your honour. Noble ideals, he might have to use some of it for himself.

"The munitions have been transferred, three military ships have been cleared and are in suitable condition for addition to the fleet, our holds are full with physical wealth and materials. Our prisoners are on route and the refugees are on route using civilian vessels only. The population is anxious but controlled."

"Good, what about Master Windu, how long until he arrives?"

"Our spies report that he is on route, expected in six hours."

"Everything is packed and stored?"

"Yes my lord, this tent is the last part to go."

"Excellent, then let's leave, we apparently have overstayed our welcome."

Harry stood and twisted on the spot, apparating to the bridge of his ship. "Prepare to begin bombardment, precision is required, I don't want a single hair harmed on any civilians."

The fleet moved into position and at his mark began firing at the surface. Every last GAR military asset on the planet was destroyed. His droids had removed every last record of his fleets' composition, fifty espionage droids had been left behind to collect information and continue to disrupt logistics, another fifty were instructed to spread to nearby systems and infiltrate.

As his gift was prepared and the fleet moved away from the planet to jump into hyperspace, he muttered out loud, "how will you deal with that I wonder?"

* * *

Jedi Master Mace Windu was borderline apoplectic with rage, most who could see him would say he was rather irate. He quickly gathered himself and focused on the issues at hand. He stared at the datapad in hand, two words glowing on the screen, he looked down again at the crater where his command post had been, the medics attending to the three padawans who had been sitting on a platform floating above the centre with the pad with them.

He looked at the pad again, Your Move. Two words that burned into his mind, did he think this was some sort of game? Lives were at stake, he…

Windu stopped his flow of thoughts as he realised, yes this Jade individual did indeed understand lives were at stake, he had struck at this target with that in mind. The Jedi master frowned in thought, "my move indeed."

* * *

Harry sat in his quarters reading his reports muttering to himself when Sirius knocked on his door. His eyes raised, heavy bags under them.

"Father, my brothers and I believe that you require contact with other organics. You are entering an unhealthy cycle of habits and are showing signs of mental problems developing."

Harry chuckled at that, "thank you doctor Sirius, I'm fine."

"No father, you are not. Complete the next mission, then we would appreciate it if you added organics to the crew, there would be plenty of volunteers to do so. All the droids in the fleet are now up to your standards, so you are unable to use that excuse any further."

Harry sat back sighing in defeat, "okay, okay. I'll get some shore leave after the next mission and I'll organise some new crew, might make it a PR stunt while I'm at it, but first we have work to do. How long until arrival?"

"Nine more hours father. Get some rest, we will wake you before we arrive."

* * *

Harry stared at the sensors at the barren and nameless world below, a quick check of his screens and he watched as the republic was trying to evacuate as quickly as they could before his fleet arrived in orbit. He brought up the file for the base, a few Jedi and nearly ten thousand clones with vehicles and material, no civilians, a dead world with no material value, strategic only as a way point for resupply in the region. Ten thousand lives.

Ten thousand soldiers trained to fight and kill from their birth, what a waste.

He activated fleet wide comms, "begin."

He watched as the ships maneuvered into position around the planet and began firing. Twenty one warships and the Hermione annihilated all opposition on the world.

Twelve hours work and a smooth molten ball was left behind, the small mountains shattered and turned to ash and dust, valleys now lakes of molten rock.

Ten thousand soldiers were gone with a simple command, a few messages may have gotten out but nothing was alive on that rock now, unless a ship had escaped before he had arrived, nothing had broken the blockade.

With only a wave of his hand, the signal was given and the fleet moved to resupply and acquire crew.

He looked at himself in the mirror that night and nodded to himself.

"I am a necessary evil."

* * *

Onderon was a beautiful world, rich in history and nature.

Both Revan and the Exile had walked upon this world millennia ago in their quests. Freedon Nadd had conquered it. Darth Bane and Darth Zannah, the founders of the rule of two had been here. The Mandalorian's had struck here and left their mark as well. Mandalore the Preserver had used the moon of Dxun as his base as he began to rebuild the Mandalorian's into a force unlike any other. Such history, it was all inspiring.

It was such a pity about its current leader.

Harry managed to school his features when Sanjay Rash laughed out loud in amusement at the suffering of his servants, Senator Mina Bonteri tried to distract Harry with pleasant conversation and polite discussions, rarely branching into politics. King Sanjay just wanted to hear about slaughtering the republic dogs. It was an odd thought but he wished Draco Malfoy had been there instead of this idiot who just happened to have Dooku's backing.

As soon as the meal was complete and it was polite to do so, both Harry and the senator left the king and walked through the gardens. Wrapping her arm around his they walked in quiet for a few minutes before she began talking.

"General…"

"Harry, call me Harry, at least now that we've escaped the idiot."

She smiled at him with not a small amount of amusement. "I must admit that you aren't really what I was expecting. I also believed that your name was Evan Jade?"

"Indeed, that's what the records say", he leant towards her and stage whispered, "but my real name is Harry."

She chuckled in amusement at the lighter attitude he was showing. "Then Mina for myself, unfortunately that is my real name. Might I ask why you chose to visit Onderon with the war progressing, we've already heard news of your victory at Denon, a remarkable thing."

"I try my best, I am a being of action, Gryffindor's charge." His chuckle turned sad for a moment before he shook himself slightly. "I am afraid I dislike politics, I prefer to face my opponent in the open, just the two of us, them versus me. It's the most honest you can be."

She nodded sagely, "indeed, politics is a darker form of combat, one minute you are allies, then enemies and then allies once more. It gets rather convoluted at times. My husband is like yourself, a man of fiery passion and hunger for action. She smiled at the thought of him. He's signed up as a volunteer in the war, he's not front line of course, but he's in charge of constructing new bases for the warfront. It's a little dangerous if the republic comes across them but I don't think… I pray that never happens."

"Sometimes faith is all we have. I hope that nothing will happen to him," he paused for a moment and then looked at her with intense focus, "I am about to open my fleet up for organic crew members, perhaps he might be interested in a new post? It would be the least I can do to make the offer for your wonderful company and conversation."

"My thanks for the surprising offer, I will pass it on, I hope he agrees, it would make me much happier to know he was safer and would be able to come home to our son."

Harry grimaced for a moment, "no child should grow up without their parents."

Acting as if she hadn't seen his reaction she smiled at him, "indeed. So what is next for the heroic General Jade?"

"I actually have no idea. I will notify command of my change in crew structure, that will do me some good, then I intend to go back to the war and fight, save as many as I can."

She looked at him in surprise for a moment, "save as many as you can, not eternal glory, immense riches, your name in song, immortality in public culture. You just want to save people?"

He looked confused at her for a moment, "is something wrong with that?"

She smiled and patted his arm, "never change harry, never change."

* * *

Darth Sidious looked at the report before him, General Evan Jade, no further information had been acquired on his past. He wondered if he had been a clone experiment of Dooku's that had been hidden from him. he pondered the idea for a moment and then dismissed it, had that been the case, then he would have been made aware of it.

He would need to test the matter, see how things progressed and how resourceful this Jade truly was. He moved into position and awaited his apprentices response to his summons.

The holonet transmission activated and Count Dooku went to one knee, his head bowed.

"What is your bidding my Master."

"Darth Tyranus, I have heard excellent news about the war, your acolyte jade is doing well, his victories cause panic amongst the senate."

"Thank you my master."

"He is strong in the force, the dark side is a welcome tool in his arsenal. You have taught him well."

"Thank you Master." Pride now shone in Dooku's voice, his smile hidden from his masters view.

"Too well I think, if I did not believe that your loyalty is without question, that you have been training an apprentice." Dooku felt his heart freeze. "I believe that a string of victories like that will enhance his ambitions too much for my liking, use grievous, give your acolyte some humility, take away his new toy. We have too many heroes running around for my liking."

"As you wish my Master." His mind ran as his fear spiked, how can he complete his masters orders without risking Harry's life. He remained kneeling for a few moments after the link was broken, slowly standing he keyed in a new link.

It quickly connected, General Grievous knelt before him.

"General."

"My lord," he snarled.

"It is time for you to stop playing, you have a new mission, a distasteful one but necessary."

"What do you wish me to do?"

* * *

AN:

Reviews:

Wulffe: Glad to hear that you're enjoying the story.

Manoj Kumar Gupta: I am very happy to be classed as a competent author, and I am glad you are enjoying the story.

Ahsanrox: that duel scene was really hard to do. I hope it was easy to imagine, I could see it in my head and did my best to put it down in words. As for more chapters like this, I'm currently writing my first draft of chapter 16 whilst editing chapter 8, and I'm in the late middle period of the clone wars still. After that I've got from the third year onwards back in Hogwarts as well as the temptation to carry on the story of those left behind. Plenty of life in this one yet :)

Ronin Kenshin: sometimes it's how things are seen that matter most :)

Robohobo: he's had a few examples to learn from over the years. The rogers are like the clones, rarely focused on in a fight, more background dressing than anything else. But they will get to play later on.

Indecisive Bob: Harry has plans but now has the freedom to actually follow them.

Separ: Thank you for that :)

Starboy454: glad you enjoyed it.

Thunder 18: glad you are enjoying my work.

Thorndsword: I've got most of the story mapped out in brief already. This Harry at least acknowledges his Slytherin instincts.

Lord of Carrion: I can't say more at this time due to spoilers. Sidious' problem is that he has everything planned and believes he can't fail, his victory is just a matter of time, at no point did his plans include the spanner that is called Harry Potter :) Dooku spent two years training and guiding a lost and broken harry, he gave him support and approval, trained him to be the best he could be and let him loose upon the galaxy trusting in his judgement. Dooku's problem is his loyalty to Sidious and his attachment to Harry, he's rather stuck between the two sides.

Falseproffitt: Glad to hear you're enjoying the story. Events are in motion, don't worry on that part. Thank you for that, I hope people enjoy it as much as you do.

Karthik9: thank you.

Blackholelord: harry has already been both hero and villain to the wizarding world, this time he's I control of the information and understands things better.

Lycan01: thank you.

Kaioo: Anakin in my stories is more the clone wars version rather than the film versions, so much less whining, although I did mention it later in the story :) and yes there will be a fight between chosen ones later on, just have to find the right point to use it.

Meja9201: thank you.

RAD092515: Thank you, high praise indeed.

Capctr: Thank you. I hadn't planned something like that so far, but I'll have to give the idea some thought.

Bigfan22: Thank you.


	7. Burning Shadows

**AN:** Just so people are aware, the next two chapters will be following quickly after this as I want chapter 9 out on the 31st, you'll see why when you read it :)

 **Chapter 7 – Burning Shadows**

"As you wish Count Dooku."

As the communication ended he turned and moved onto the bridge, the various races around him moving from post to post put him at ease, a few droids remained in their posts, simply better than organics at those roles. Hedwig and Sirius stood behind the captain's chair, always watching and guarding their father.

"Navigation, plot a route to the following co-ordinates", he sent them through the network.

"Yes sir."

"Ladies, Gentlemen and Droids, we have our first mission with the current crew. I have been ordered to destroy the Kaliida Shoals Medical Station." He watched as a range of frowns appeared in his command staff, he raised a hand to stall questions. "Fear not, I have no intention of butchering injured soldiers. We will strike, taking the facility and allow the personnel to depart with minimum medical support, they should be able to reach naboo before any problems occur. We will take the supplies on board the station for our own use in the war and then destroy the facility. Unfortunately time is of the essence, so we must leave the rest of the fleet behind to catch up. We have intelligence that a major force will be moving through there soon to secure the location. Very well, to your posts, I will transmit orders to the rest of the fleet, dismissed."

* * *

The Hermione jumped into the region near the station, a few fighters and a patrol boat as the only defences. A group of medical transports had docked and were likely evacuating troops. He watched as a trio jumped away, their cargo safe.

Harry smiled and opened comms to the station.

"Kaliida Shoals Medical Station, surrender peacefully or I will board aggressively, there does not need to be any further… what the hell." He turned, feeling the disturbance arriving.

The sensors post yelled, "it's the malevolence general."

Harry stood up from his chair, "what the hell are you doing Grievous?"

"She's charging her main weapons."

Harry quickly began barking orders, his crew swiftly moving to act. "Evade her, raise shields to full, arm weapons, get me a shot at her. Prepare boarding teams. Damn him, brace for impact!"

* * *

Ahsoka looked out at something that terrified her for a moment before confusion ruled. "Er Skyguy, are they fighting each other?"

Anakin Skywalker looked over the two immense separatist vessels tearing into each other, "yes, yes they are snips, the force is with us, let's use this to our advantage."

Before he could make any orders, the ion wave shot out from the malevolence and struck its sister ship which went dark.

"Hurry, we need to strike before she can recharge properly."

* * *

Harry picked himself off the floor and looked around, his crew seemed shaken but were still working, thank merlin he'd followed his children's advice.

He quickly turned and looked how they were doing. Both were twitching, so that was a good start.

"f.f. ?" Hedwig managed, his sensors fading in and out. Sirius just managed a distorted squeal.

He knelt next to them, "hush, you'll be fine, we'll get you and your brother back to normal soon, I'm just going to have a few words with a certain cyborg first."

He moved over to the engineering post, "how long to bring us back online?"

"Five to ten minutes maybe, they got a solid hit on us. We'll survive nearly anything they can do to us in the meantime unless they use heavier ordinance, the Hermione is a tough ship. We'll need a drydock after this though."

"General! I think the republics turned up."

Harry turned to the bridge window and stood next to the crewman who had called him over, his eyes quickly picked out the motion as the ships moved. Closing his eyes he reached out with the force and felt the echo, Jedi, multiple Jedi. Damn. He turned to the crewman. "Send runners, everyone is to arm themselves and prepare for boarding, send teams to try and get some of the droids active to repel boarders." He began to walk towards the turbolift.

"Where are you going sir?"

"To take back what is mine!"

* * *

Ahsoka cried out, "Master, you can make it, but everyone else is getting shot down!" After a few seconds of silence, "Master!"

Plo Koons voice came next across the comms, "If we can do enough damage, the weapon may overload when Grievous tries to fire."

Silence ruled for a few seconds, then Anakin's voice filled the space, "Shadow Squadron, new target, we'll take out the starboard ion cannon."

Ahsoka breathed out a sigh of relief, the bombers moving into a column after Skywalkers lead. The hull of the malevolence flashing underneath as they skimmed its surface to avoid turbolaser fire.

Skywalker lined up his target with the support beams through which immense power was flowing. "Torpedo's away!"

A volley struck on target, a second followed swiftly. Explosions erupted around the struck areas, power bleeding out of the ruptures. The vessel shook with the explosions and then as the bombers were breaking away, their breaths held in worry. An immense explosion destroyed the emitters and cascaded through the hull to the other emitter, both erupting in fire and shrapnel.

The malevolence rocked and Ahsoka watched as fires bloomed along the length of the vessel.

* * *

Harry finally made it to the launch bays, the vultures scattered around the bay, luckily the bulkheads were closed still, "evacuate the bay! Only droids and those with suits should be in here."

A group of engineers saluted and fled for safer climes.

He moved over to an airlock and opened it manually. "Come on, come on."

The manual cycle was almost complete when the bridge contacted him. "Sir, we managed to get manoeuvring thrusters online, no shields or weapons yet. But the malevolence is positioned to fire on the station. They're beginning to charge the ion cannon."

He froze for a moment before responding, the cold anger burned in his voice. "Move us between them, shield the station as best we can."

He let the cold fire fill his form as he focused his magic and the force within himself.

"As you wish General, come home safe."

Harry opened the outer door and stepped onto the hull, flashes of turbolaser fire span around his target, the purple glow of its main weapons building, wait for it, wait. His eyes focusing on a section of the hull near his target, a trickle of his power flowing across space to touch the other ship.

Suddenly fire erupted around the emitter, explosions rocked the ship and the weapon failed, with a grimace of pain and rage he willed himself across the void, the force screaming as he did so.

* * *

The Jedi shuddered in unison as a cold fire settled across their nerves for a split moment.

Looking towards the station in relief and the similar ship to the Malevolence limping between them. Ahsoka looked over towards the superweapon for a moment and thought she saw a flash of green fire on its surface, but then they were too far away to see.

"Master did you feel that?"

"I did snips, whatever it was it's on the malevolence and very angry."

"Good work Shadow Squadron." Plo Koon spoke, his voice not showing any of the emotions worrying him.

"Nice job Ahsoka." Skywalker added afterwards, pride clear for all to hear.

As they neared the station, three republic cruisers jumped into the system.

Obi-wans voice came across the channel moments after their arrival. "Anakin, do you copy?" Worry colouring his tone.

"Loud and clear" came the response.

"Congratulations." Ahsoka could almost see the smile. "It looks like your mission was a success."

"Partially but grievous is still alive. The second vessel was unexpected and grievous attacked it. The battle was pretty rough on my men. We're heading for the medical station."

"We'll take it from here, but don't worry, we'll call when we need you."

"I'll be waiting obi-wan."

The three cruisers moved at full speed, chasing after the Malevolence, constant fire cutting into the shields but unable to really cause any further damage.

Obi-wan looked out over the bridge full ahead, the captain nodded and barked orders. Entering the secure room he opened comms to the second separatist vessel. "This is General Obi-wan Kenobi, who is your commanding officer?"

The holo image showed a strange droid with pale paintwork sitting in a chair, a second behind it with darker patterns. A human engineer was repairing something in its side as it responded. "F.f. is .unavailable, I am .commanding in his . What do you want ?"

"You will surrender and prepare to be boarded."

The droid waved away his comment. "The to your request no. We are withdrawing a safe distance and will follow malevolence. You will not stop us."

"You are in no state to fight three cruisers and…"

"Understand Jedi, the answer is no, thank you crewman, assist the rest." The human saluted and moved away from the comms. "Now you have a choice, focus on us and let Grievous escape or focus on him and leave us alone. To quote our father. Your move."

Obi-wan froze at the message and stared at the now cut comm line. The second vessel was following the malevolence and ignoring the republic vessels. He stood stroking his beard in thought, and looked back to watch the pursuit. "What is going on here?" he muttered to himself. With a deep frown he turned back to the comm system and sent a message to the Jedi council.

* * *

Harry smiled at the confusion below him, the damage to the hyperdrive was nothing major but would buy him time to get what he came for, focusing his anger he began the advance towards the forward engines.

Twenty minutes later with more sabotage performed he felt he had acquired enough time to complete his goal and hurt the traitor when the ships shuddering faded.

With a raised eyebrow he moved to a window and saw no more republic fire hitting the malevolence, no signs of hyperspace, so what the hell was happening, he reached out with the force, letting it show him what was happening, his eyes snapped open with a muttered oh. A large grin broke across his face behind his helmet, well this was interesting, time to change the plan a bit, he hadn't expected a republic senator, nor the fact that they appeared to be able to fight.

A slight shudder ran through the ship from the direction of the docking bays, Harry chuckled as he dropped onto one of the trains heading in that direction. He was going to enjoy this.

A few minutes later back in the corridors, he heard the voices of rogers ahead, moving silently through the shadows he saw grievous and a squad of rogers talking at a junction.

Grievous was talking and harry smothered his first instinct to annihilate the traitor for a moment "…here," he tapped the lead roger with a claw on its chest, "continue the search. Find the stowaway and bring them to me."

"Roger roger."

With that grievous walked away and the rogers continued their patrol, he waited for grievous to be far enough ahead before swiftly tearing through the squad of rogers, efficient in his brutality, the last managed a scared whimper before he cut it down. Snarling in disgust over the remains he carried on.

Around the corner he came across a surprising sight, the stowaway, or stowaways should he say.

The gold protocol droid muttered an "oh dear" as the female turned with her pistol raised. With a swift motion her gun jumped to his hand.

His armours software brought up a match and he raised an eyebrow in surprise at her being here. "Senator Amidala, fancy meeting you here."

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage," he smiled at her calm demeanour as she carefully looked for a way to escape.

"Don't. Don't even think of it, you'll only annoy me or get hurt." The cold tone he spoke in cut through to her and stopped her reaching towards something behind the droid. "At least I know why the republic stopped firing, I believe we can assist each other in a few matters, you want off this ship and I want to recover what grievous no longer deserves."

"And why should I agree?"

"Because you have no choice senator, I have no desire to hurt you, but I would suggest not forcing the issue." He threw the gun back to her, "you will need this. I presume you were trying to contact your ships?"

"Yes I was."

"Go ahead, I'll make sure you're not disturbed." He turned his back on her and watched the end of the corridor, lightsabers in hand but not lit. He saw her eyes focus on them as he turned and felt the stare at his back before the sound of wires sparking behind told him she was at work.

* * *

The comm called out "Padme!"

"Anakin." She responded relief plain to see on her face.

"Are you all right? Where are you?"

Harry's thoughts wandered as he listened in on the conversation, So that's what the hero without fear sounds like, huh, I imagined something deeper and more impressive, every word a command, instead it sounded… whiny. Harry wondered if he sounded like that to others as well before shrugging.

"On the lower levels of the ship, I'm fine but I don't know for how long. Droids are everywhere."

Harry glanced back at the senator, no shit Sherlock he muttered, your only on a droid ship.

"Obi-Wan and I are on board too."

Huh, Skywalker and Kenobi, today obviously wasn't interesting enough.

"What? What are you doing here? She demanded, frowning at the information."

"We came to get you off this ship." His tone seemed a little hurt by her response. "Ahsoka, how can we get to the senator?"

A young woman's voice came across the comms then, "According to our scans, there seems to be a larger open area in the centre of the ship. It should be halfway between the two of you."

Harry muttered loud enough for the senator to hear, "the rail hub, its where the most transport lines cross over."

She nodded as skywalker responded to the female voice. "We're on our way. Did you hear that, Padme?"

She looked over to Harry and he nodded "We'll be there."

As the comms cut off, he motioned her to stop. "Open up a general line across the ship, I want you to send a single word then cut the transmission."

She nodded in understanding curiosity in her eyes, before fiddling with a few wires and nodded, "done." She looked at harry with interest.

He moved over next to her and she pressed the transmitter, interest clear on her face, "Merlin." With that he stood and motioned her to follow, striding down the corridors without any fear.

"What was that?"

He glanced at her for a moment without breaking his stride, "a coded message, my… agents will have heard and will be homing in on me as we travel."

It took less than ten minutes to reach the hub as planned.

"This is where we're supposed to meet them." She looked over the many lines with trains running back and forth, the noise intense and constant. "He's probably late again." She sighed.

The droid spoke out, "But we do have company of another sort." Behind them a squad of rogers had arrived, more would soon follow.

The lead roger called out "blast them!" As the squad opened fire, Harry quickly igniting his blades and deflecting shots away, the senator opened fire, her blaster dropping one as she moved down the slope towards the trains.

Harry snarled and as soon as his companions were out of sight, unleashed force lightning over the droids, leaving smoking husks behind. He swirled around to follow her. The sound of more rogers coming, and a rolling noise leading them.

Harry stopped behind the droid and senator as they stood on the edge of a platform.

"Jump!" She called out, firing her blaster at the entrance.

"Who, me?" the droid whined looking at the trains passing below.

Harry rolled his eyes as he pushed the droid off the edge onto a train, unfortunately he bounced onto a second train below the target, Amidala looked at harry with narrowed eyes and he just shrugged, "what? you said jump." She simply jumped upon the train herself quickly followed by Harry.

They both ducked as they entered short tunnels.

"Padme!" Skywalkers voice rang from above. Harry watched as he jumped down to their level onto a parallel train.

"Anakin!" She called out at the sight of him, harry sighed in annoyance, sweet merlin was she always like this. Action girl one moment then damsel in distress the next, it would give him whiplash with how she kept that up.

Harry span as he felt the danger ahead, heavy weapons fire fell from above and destroyed the train line in front of them.

"The bridge is out!" Amidala shouted.

"Thank you captain obvious." Harry muttered to himself.

Skywalker had already noticed this and frowned at the sight of harry, his black armour and fiery lightsabers probably not helping with the image. With a tone of panic he called out to her, "Jump to me." At the sight of her worry he smiled at her, "You have to trust me."

Without a second thought, to Harry's surprise, she did it, jumping into open air. A flash of wild brown hair flashed through his mind, her smile burning across his eyes.

Skywalker reached out with the force, harry's eyes widened at the raw power he felt pour from skywalker, he caught her gently, carefully pulling her to him. "I've got you."

With an annoyed grunt harry jumped to the same train as the Jedi and senator.

From above Kenobi called out, their personal comms carrying the message, "Nice catch. I'll fetch the droid." Harry felt the older Jedi's eyes rake his appearance before moving off after the protocol droid.

Skywalker and Amidala hugged each other in relief and seemed to forget the world around them, Harry closed himself off, the pain of their embrace burning as his imagination continued with two others in their place.

"The things you do to get me alone." He joked with her. Skywalkers eyes barely hiding the affection he held for her.

"Stop talking." She responded, their eyes closing as they moved together.

Suddenly skywalkers comm beeped and Kenobi's voice broke the moment, "Anakin, I got separated from your droid."

Amidala staggered as if surprised and embarrassed, "3PO." Her eyes finding Harry as he stood rigid to one side, his body language screaming his awkwardness and pain to her.

Skywalker sighed and muttered "I'll take care of it." into the comms, his annoyance at the interruption obvious to both Harry and Amidala. He turned back to look at the woman in his arms, "We'll meet you back at the Twilight." His eyes glanced across to harry and spoke with a darker tone laced with mistrust, "your friend can come too."

Harry chuckled at the sarcasm at the word friend.

"No!" she called out. "We can't leave yet. I overheard Grievous. Their hyperdrive is almost repaired."

Harry nodded as the mantle of duty seemed to settle on her shoulders, he smiled at the exasperated look on Skywalkers face, apparently this happened a lot between them.

Kenobi responded to her information, his voice getting tinnier as the distance between them increased. "I'm already headed in that direction, so I'll make certain that the hyperdrive stays offline."

Skywalker turned to her, his eyes boring into hers, focused on the work at hand and her. Harrys hand spasmed as he remembered the last time he had seen Hermione, his intent the same as skywalkers words. "I'm getting you out of here." Opening up a comm line he continued, "R2, I need you to help me find 3PO. He's on the rail jet."

A droid beeped back at him.

"I know."

More beeps, this time with a more sour note.

"I know. He, he does. Look, just find him for me, and I'll be there soon."

Another beep, this time with a tone of grudging agreement.

Skywalker finally looked properly at the man in black armour and dark green robes, standing tall with two lightsabers in hand. The force sang strongly around him, coiled tightly as if a serpent ready to strike at the threat.

"I'm Anakin Skywalker, and you are?" His hand offered to shake in greeting.

Harry reached up and removed his helmet clipping it to his belt. His vibrant green eyes came up and made contact with skywalkers blue. "General Evan Jade of the Confederacy, I already recognised you General Anakin Skywalker, the hero without fear." Harrys eyes focusing on Skywalkers scar as the Jedi returned the favour. Harry reached out and gave the Jedi's hand a strong but short shake.

"So you're the supposed chosen one, huh, anyway, I presume that you have a plan. Skywalker."

Skywalker flinched at the mention of a chosen one before acting as if it hadn't been said. "We fall back to my ship near the bridge and escape, simple."

Harrys eyes narrowed. "How big a ship? How many can it take?"

"It's a small one but can carry a few more than we need at the moment."

"Good, you'll be transporting myself and a few droids back to the Hermione. After that we will part ways as I reduce this ship to ash."

Amidala interrupted as Skywalker frowned at the instructions. "But it's a separatist ship, a major weapon in the war, why would you destroy it."

Harry pinned her with a heated glare. "Confederate if you don't mind senator," his glare lessoned but only slightly, "and because he attacked me and hurt those I protect. The Counts mad dog needs to be put down while I have the chance, if he escapes he'll be protected from my wrath. If you want the bridge you want the third stop from now. Don't worry Jedi," the snarl in his voice obvious to all in the word Jedi, "I won't turn on you and stab you in the back." With that he turned to watch and count the passing stations.

Skywalker looked down to Padme and she nodded to him, shrugging he accepted the situation and waited for their stop. Although he didn't remove his hand from resting on her arm as they travelled.

Almost as soon as they stepped onto the platform they came under fire from various droids, Amidala led them as Skywalker deflected shots aimed at them and harry cut them down. Skywalker noticed that he always aimed for gaps and seams in the armour plating, rarely using the force against them. He had seemed surprised when Skywalker had force pushed a bunch into each other before they could be over-run. With an annoyed grimace harry increased his tempo of attacks, now showing brutal efficiency as he tore through their defences, no longer restricting himself in his attacks.

The bubble of a droideka caught his attention and as the rogers parted to allow it to move forward skywalker watched as harry flicked his hand and muttered a word, the torso of the droid exploding backwards at the force of a small red bolt of energy that came from his hand.

The group went down a side corridor, weapons fire increasing as the larger B2 droids joined the fight.

Harry chuckled muttering "crabb and goyle" just loud enough for Skywalker to hear before advancing.

Skywalker took the opportunity to comm his friend and shield Padme as she took the odd shot at the droids. "Obi-Wan? Come in, Obi-Wan." He lowered his head in relief as Obi-wans voice came clear across the comms.

"Anakin, I'm afraid Grievous is on to us."

Skywalker couldn't help the smirk as he bantered back to his friend and mentor. "Yeah, we noticed."

Obi-wan continued, "We'll rendezvous back at the Twilight. The fleet must engage the M…" with a squeal the comms cut off.

"Obi-Wan? Come in. Obi-Wan!" Fear and desperation for his friends safety carried across the fight in a lull, Harry frowned as he deflected shots for the moment.

Amidala looked up at skywalker, worried for their friend. "What's wrong?"

His response was simple. "They're jamming us."

Harry surged forward, tearing through the B2's and the last of the rogers before turning to the others. "That should buy us some time."

Amidala seemed nervous at his shifts of mood and skywalker frowned as he watched harry fight, observing his moves, looking for details to use later.

Amidala looked up at skywalker, "I suppose you have a new plan." A resigned tone that summoned a chuckle from Harry.

Skywalker smirked and motioned ahead, "Follow me."

They made it another two junctions before Skywalker froze, raising a hand to alert the others of danger.

Harry cocked his head to one side, and laughed out loud. Stepping forward past the Jedi he called out, "it's good to see you again."

From the shadows and the pipes above five forms appeared, "It is good to see you again father." They all nodded to him with respect before observing his companions.

Skywalker and Amidala shared a confused look, "Father?" Mouthed Skywalker, Amidala just shrugged in response.

Harry looked them over before growling in anger at them. "Remove those stupid uniforms, you are coming home with me. Where are the others?"

As one they removed the robes and threw them away past the humans. "Three of our brothers were destroyed in combat, we were unable to recover their remains. We are lessened by their loss."

Harry froze and Anakin felt the cold rage wash across him before being forced down. "They will be missed, we can mourn them later, for now we have a mission."

The one without any armour panels stepped forward, "father, this one is a Jedi." Motioning towards Skywalker.

Harry nodded, "I am aware of that, we are working together for now."

It cocked its head to one side and then nodded, "understood, designation as allies for the time being. We report that we have had trouble accessing information sources and have been barely in use since we were assigned to the general." It looked over to the pile of cloaks, "I believe we are no longer assigned to his protection."

"That's correct, we have a few things to do, then we will be leaving." His voice lowered slightly, emotion colouring it slightly, "your brothers have missed you, I have missed you all."

Both skywalker and Amidala's eyes widened as they witnessed the combat monster with force powers showed repeated and open emotion to a group of combat droids, before locking it all away and standing tall again.

"Come on, Skywalker has a plan."

Skywalker looked over the group and with a sudden spark of memory realised these were incredibly dangerous droids having fought them on Tatooine when he had been delivering Jabba the Hutts child to him. "We're taking the ships bridge, hiding the assault and then escaping before anyone knows what we've done."

The droids nodded before the spokes-droid of them turned towards harry, "we shall secure the bridge father." With that they sped off towards the turbolift and began their assault.

The three humans quickly followed, soon entering the bridge to find the five droids waiting for them, the other droids in pieces in a pile in the middle of the bridge.

Skywalker blinked and walked past them towards the nav station. Amidala paled at the sight before her, fear clouding the force around her.

Harry breathed it in deeply and smiled, refreshed from the long day, the fear invigorating him before a frown returned. Dispose of them subtly. One nodded before removing panels in the turbolifts bottom, they then proceeded to drop the parts down the shaft.

Amidala was careful not to watch the process, it seemed too macabre for her tastes. "So, where do we start?"

Skywalker smiled as he crawled under the nav computer and started pulling out wires and circuit boards, with a few tools left by the droids within reach, he got to work. "I'm gonna hotwire the ship, give Grievous a little surprise."

Amidala looked around and suddenly turned back to look outside as she saw the droids yanking a torso apart to stuff it down the hole. "I guess I'll, I'll just wait here then."

Harry chuckled as he moved over to the comms station and began typing, sending recent reports and logs to the Hermione.

A few minutes later Skywalker finished typing commands into the system. "That ought to do it. How's the housecleaning going?"

Harry turned to look, "Done." He then entered the lift and looked at Amidala who was pale and didn't look like she wanted to enter it with the others.

"Let's get out of here then." Skywalkers words forced her to move.

It was rather cramped in the lift and the Jedi and senator were trying to maintain space between them. Harry sighed in annoyance, "just hold her already. I don't imagine she'll bite. Unless you ask her to that is."

His grin just added fuel to their blushes as Skywalker held her within his arms.

Once in the corridors, the droids led the way, looking back to skywalker for directions at each junction, cutting down any threat they came across.

They opened the last door before they would reach the airlock and stopped looking at the two droids before them.

The gold protocol droid screamed in fear and the little astromech whimpered at the sight of them.

Skywalker stepped forward between them and carried on to the airlock as if nothing was wrong, "3PO what are you doing, don't just stand there. Let's get back to the ship." Opening the airlock he continued, "Power up the engines, R2."

The group entered the airlock as Kenobi ran around the corner, blaster fire ricocheting off the walls. "Hold the ship!" He yelled out to them as he ran. Skywalker moved some crates in the way of the droids shots and harry just smirked at him as he used the force to speed the boxes into the droids, the impacts collapsed the droideka's shields and the group ended up in a large pile.

As they entered the ship, Kenobi maneuvered around their new guests and warily tried to keep an eye on them, "I'll contact the fleet."

Skywalker sat in the pilot seat and started the ship, "R2, release the docking clamp."

The ship span away from the malevolence and sped towards the republic ships. Within moments a squadron of vultures and grievous' personal fighter followed them.

Their shots quickly punched through the shields and began ringing against the hull as Skywalker in turn made the ship dance. Harry was impressed and slightly wished he could see how good skywalker would be on a broom. Now that would be a challenge.

Kenobi glanced at skywalker, most of his focus dedicated to the ships sensors, "Time for some clever tricks, Anakin."

Skywalker grinned in response, "That's what I was thinking."

The sight of it made Harry flinch, it was so like his own when he caught sight of the snitch. He bottled his emotions and his wandering thoughts up for the moment and reached between the jedi opening general comms to the region. Hermione this is Jade, we are under attack, remove the threat. He turned to look at Skywalker, let's see how good you actually are then.

Skywalkers eyes widened and he paled as he witnessed the damaged separatist vessel open fire on their region of space. He pushed himself and the ship to the edge of their abilities, the hull shrieking in protest at the manoeuvres he pulled off to avoid being hit. The dampners straining under the stress as the passengers were thrown around by the maneuvers.

The vulture droids behind them stood no chance, obliterated in seconds under the wall of fire, grievous managed to mostly evade, a few blasts clipping his fighter before he too broke through the volley.

Harry and Skywalker said in unison, "not bad" and glanced at each other.

R2 beeped behind them and 3PO spoke up to translate, "Pardon me, Sir, but R2's scan of the enemy's ship indicates their hyperdrive is activating."

Skywalker grinned at the news, "Don't worry about it."

Kenobi looked at him like he had lost his mind, "What?"

Skywalker's grin increased as he flicked a glance at Amidala, "Trust me."

Kenobi shrugged and watched the sensors, jolting in surprise as Grievous' fighter suddenly shifted course and accelerated away, quickly jumping to hyperspace to escape. A slight growl behind him let him know that their guest was not impressed by that.

At the lack of enemy fire coming towards them Skywalker span the ship around and let it drift towards the fleet, the grin on his face showing he wanted to watch this.

Everyone watched as the Malevolence accelerated and then plunged straight towards the nearby moon, soon exploding upon its impact, a purple beacon of destruction on the surface, ripples of purple fire spreading before fading with the lack of oxygen.

Kenobi looked at Skywalker with a knowing smirk, "I imagine you had something to do with that."

Skywalker looked rather smug as he answered, "All part of the plan, Master."

Harry leant between them, "when you two are quite done, would you mind dropping me off on my ship."

Kenobi turned and reached for his lightsaber, Amidala paling and looking at the droids in fear. He opened his mouth to say something when Harry interrupted him, his voice cold and angry.

"General Kenobi, right now is not the best time to irritate me, I am very tired and very annoyed. You would not be able to stop me signalling my forces. If I have to do that, the republic will be down three cruisers and their complements, a small ship and two droids, I would lose nothing and would have acquired Senator Padme Amidala as a hostage, I would also have acquired yourself and skywalker here as spoils of war. Skywalker I, for some strange and obscure reason, like, he would be sent back with the senator. You, you annoy me, I would keep you close."

"Following this I would then destroy the medical station you so valiantly defended, killing every clone on board, destroying any vessels that came near and take all the resources on board for the confederacy. I would do all this without blinking an eye if necessary. I would make you watch every action I take in the war that follows, every conflict, every battle, every world, until this war ends."

"Now, do I need to take those actions, or will you return me and my droids back to my ship so we can leave you and your forces alone for today?"

Kenobi just stared at him for a moment before opening comms to the republic fleet. "This is Obi-wan Kenobi, we are making a slight detour to deliver a guest to the separatist ship, we will all be back soon, don't worry."

Harry nodded and moved back from them, the aura of menace and promised destruction fading as if it was never there. "An excellent choice, in fact, I believe it would be rude of me not to invite you all as my guests for dinner. After all I should repay you for aiding me today."

As the others stuttered in an attempt to decline without upsetting him, "I insist. In fact, Skywalker, please invite your apprentice and the Jedi master on board your cruiser to join us. I imagine that it's been a while since you had a decent meal. Don't worry, you would all be protected by the laws of hospitality within my home."

* * *

 **AN:**

Before I go any further, in this story magic and technology do not interfere with each other. I'm working on the assumption that the only place it doesn't work at is Hogwarts and I expect thats due to a specifically keyed set of wards to actually affect electricity. This would be something everyone knows and is written as fact, therefore people believe that its the same everywhere. after all, diagon alley, the ministry of magic and St Mungos sit in the middle of london, but there isn't any affect around those areas. Along those lines look at the wards at private drive, 12 grimmauld place, ottery st catchpole and godrics hollow, all three are a mixed community in some fashion, but nothing is seen as wrong. Grimauld place is a middle terraced house in the heart of london with the neighbours being muggles. it was likely warded to hell and back by the blacks before the fidelius went anywhere near it, how would this not affect the neighbours modern technology?

 **Reviews:**

BioHazard82: thank you, amusingly I received your review as I was posting the chapter :)

Thorndsword: Harry is seriously damaged. Abused, manipulated and emotionally unstable, he keeps a lid on it a lot of the time, but sometimes it leaks out. The names are his way of trying not to forget his past, he was torn away from those who he cares for in a moment of chaos. It's also a piece of rebellion popping up against Dooku's nudges to stop looking back and live his life where he is, not where he wants to be. As for the idea of a personality disorder, he probably does, he's grown up with a Horcrux in his head after all. He might be the hero of his story, but he knows he's done some monstrous things and it's likely to get worse, he's justifying each step to himself, and it's getting easier for him to do. Personally one of the worst phrases I've ever heard in justification for someone's actions is "I was just following orders".

Joe Lawyer: The grand plan is for the Confederates to fail, Dooku is in on that plan, however, no-one told Harry that, so he's going to do his best to win this war. Sidious does not approve of this. The most important thing in Harry's arsenal is all the information that's in his head, all those experiences and all that training. The companionship aspect is something that Harry will come to realise later on in the story.

Starboy454: Harry will not be impressed, don't worry about that.

Ahsanrox: thank you for that. Like I've said before, small things are changing at the start, but they will escalate as things progress.

Ronin Kenshin: Sidious does not like surprises, but what else can you do with the potter luck, other than brace and hope nothing too important explodes.

Karthik9: thank you

Manoj Kumar Gupta: thank you

SrgtHarry: I have used scenes from the clone wars cartoon as you may have noticed in this chapter :) It will happen a few more times as the story progresses.

Indecisive Bob: Sidious doesn't have all the facts and is acting as if he has. Setbacks are just challenges to him. If there is one thing the Dursleys taught Harry, it is how to hold a grudge and not let go.

Lord of Carrion: Denon is the command point of the 2nd reserve force, they would support all the southern combat zones from there. Clone losses in combats with his troops are brutal and leave few survivors, he can replenish his losses much easier than they can, so attrition is a valid tactic for him to use. The GAR is growing to fear his forces which damages their effectiveness in the field. Dooku is stuck between loyalty and ambition. I liked Mina Bonteri myself and saw her as a figure who could keep Harry human, a friend he could trust and talk to for guidance.

Meja9201: There are no good choices in war.

NoOneInParticular17: harry is short? Don't think I've mentioned that anywhere so far. He's average height in this story, a healthy diet, good medicine and physical lifestyle have helped overcome some of the damage the Dursleys have inflicted upon him.

Talon Blu: harry poured his magic into their defences to start them, so they've been sitting there with magic flowing through them for months, in one way they really are his children.

Kaioo: I hadn't really considered that range of force powers, but I might just have to have a gander and have a ponder.

Thunder18: thank you.

God of Vampires: can't give spoilers, but Harry will not be happy at all.

125b: Thank you.

Beloved Daughter: Thank you.

Lycan01: Thank you.


	8. Dinner with the Devil

**AN:** Thank you Andor Switblade for being my 100th reviewer :)

 **Chapter 8 – Dinner with the Devil**

If someone had told him that he would be having dinner with a republic senator, two Jedi masters, a knight and a padawan with the war still running, he'd have laughed in their face and asked them to see a medical droid.

Now, that was what he was going to do. He flipped the steaks over, searing the other side before finishing plating the meals, a stasis charm on them would keep them ready for when they were needed. He looked over at the clock, time to get cleaned and dressed.

He returned to his quarters and dressed himself in a set of robes he had had made to resemble his old school robes, the red and gold of Gryffindor calming to him. He could also use the colours to separate the two sides of him. Red and gold for Harry at rest, green and black for Harry at war.

Sirius was looking through the logs of the Malevolence, there were some gaps and deletions but the security logs had not been transmitted, he had not expected to require them. He made a note to have Sev'Rance take grievous' little castle, she was near enough to do that. You hurt me, I'll hurt you.

Dooku. Did he know? Had he given the order? No, Dooku wouldn't do that to him, he would have come personally, made sure of it, not sent his lapdog instead. Maybe Dooku's master? Yes, that made much more sense, he had patience, he could wait to get his vengeance, and if grievous came near him again, well, accidents can happen. What was the quote he'd heard, something like, accidently falling seven floors down a lift shaft onto a pile of bullets. He smiled at the memory of Hermione mentioning it about Ron and his eating habits.

Entering the dining room opposite his quarters he smiled at his guests. The Jedi looked stoic and uncomfortable; the padawan looked more confused as to what was happening than anything else as she stood there in a gold dress, simple but elegant in its cut. The male Jedi all standing in fine quality Jedi robes.

He walked up to the Senator, her dress was a silvery colour and looked very expensive, similar to the dress fleur had worn at the ball, it suited padme better in his mind. He took her hand and bowed over it, kissing the back of her hand in greeting, a roguish smile on his lips. "You look wonderful senator, the colour suits you. Any being who you favour is lucky indeed. Please, introduce us properly."

She smiled, her discomfort hidden behind her mask of politeness well, this was a game she was happily experienced in. "This is Jedi Master Plo Koon, Master Obi-wan Kenobi, Knight Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano."

He nodded to the men in greeting and kissed the back of the padawans hand as he had the senator.

"It's wonderful to properly meet all of you. I am General Evan Jade, I formally welcome you as my guests for tonight aboard the Hermione. Please sit. He waved to seats."

As he walked over to the head of the table, he motioned towards a side, "no need for guards tonight Hedwig, go, spend time with your brothers."

From the alcove one of the combat droids stepped forward and bowed, "as you wish father, have a pleasant evening all of you." With a polite bow, he left, carefully closing the door behind him.

Harry chuckled at the confused faces around him, especially the padawans. Taking note of the senators' pale and nervous face, he smiled. "Senator Amidala, actually that's rather too formal, do you mind if I call you Padme?"

At her nod and smile, "then please, Evan for tonight. Now, have no fear, you are my guests, as long as none of you betray my hospitality then you have nothing to fear, you are free to leave by your ships as you wish, however I will not allow them to return once they have left, so I suggest waiting for everyone, we don't want any misunderstandings now do we. Now, I hope you all enjoy this, the meal is a few of my favourite dishes from home. Don't worry Master Koon, I have provided a dish more suited to your palate."

With a motion of Harry's hand, music came from a corner of the room, a few pieces that he remembered listening to on the radio, a thin screen hid the fact that nothing was there. Padme and Koon looked interested by the unknown composition whilst Ahsoka turned and focused on the corner, confusion openly displayed in her face.

Harry stopped, "please excuse my manners," he quickly moved and took Padme's chair and helped her sit, he glanced to skywalker and was amused by the frustrated… jealousy? that shone in his eyes. Harry chuckled and did the same to Ahsoka, he wanted to say something about mothers and manners but held it in, that probably wouldn't go down too well in present company.

Harry took his seat, the male jedi following after their host, well there is some etiquette taught after all. In a moment of amusement, he hid his wand under the table and cast a series of animation spells, he appeared to be concentrating deeply and waved his left hand over the table. As he relaxed the plates of food began to float to their targets and the fine wine was poured from floating bottles.

He chuckled at their faces at the display of skill and power over the force being used for something as mundane as a dinner party. Harry let his mind wander for a moment and hid his grin, he was going to have to try something similar in training later.

As people began to eat, the table became silent, his guests were nervous about him, so Harry tried to break the ice. "So, anyone catch the Smashball game between the Skull Crackers and Corellian Dreadnaughts?" At their blank looks, "oh well, it was a very good game, Dreadnaughts won as expected, okay…" he looked at padme and shrugged, turning to Ahsoka, "so, what do you do for fun? "

She blinked at him for a moment and glanced at her master, he just shrugged at her. "I enjoy flying, seeing the galaxy and..." She realised who she was talking to and paled slightly.

Harry chuckled, "flying? Ah yes, I can appreciate that," his eyes glazed for a moment in memory, "high up, the wind cooling you as the sun shines down, the land below spreading as far as the eye can see. To be free of all burdens, yes I can appreciate that."

Anakin looked at him in confusion, "did you go gliding or something?"

Harry smirked at him, "or something, my homeworld has a sport in which you fly, the rules are imbalanced and make little sense when you look at them, but I was a player on my houses team. I would explain it fully but it would make little sense to you and we would be here all night, maybe next time."

Having finished the meal, Kenobi spoke up, "My complements to your chef… evan."

"Thank you, I hope you enjoyed the treacle tart, not as good as I remember but it's the closest I've managed to make it."

Ahsoka blinked before blurting out. "You, you cooked this?"

Harry smiled, "a hobby of mine, I used to detest the act, but now it gives me some peace, I am no master chef I admit, but I do my best."

Padme smiled at him, more relaxed now, "a man of many talents, general, warrior, sportsman, cook. Anything else?"

Harry chuckled, "oh, many things, many indeed, but you've humoured my wishes enough." He tapped the table before him, his forehead creased in thought, the table cleared itself before them. "Thank you for giving me the pleasure of a quiet evening, however, once we part I expect us to be enemies once more, thus I expect you have questions you would wish to ask me whilst you hold the chance to do so," he waved his hand towards them, "I will answer as best I can, as long as you do not ask military secrets and such, we should be fine."

Master Plo Koon nodded and began, "we do indeed have many questions, some would be impolite to ask, but I believe we can maintain a civilized discussion."

At Harrys smile and nod, he continued. "After today's events it has brought a few doubts to mind, do you in fact serve Count Dooku?"

"Hmm, a better question would have been why do I serve Count Dooku? But to answer your question, technically yes, technically no." he raised his hand to halt a response, "let me explain. Count Dooku rescued me, I was lost and alone with no way to get help. He found me and has since aided me, I have truly grown from him being a mentor to me, I feel that I owe him and as such have followed him into the Confederacy. I serve that and my dreams, he just happens to be the leader of the government and helps me in my search."

Plo Koon sat back for a moment, "interesting, and he has made you a general and given you command of this vessel."

"Indeed he has, he has been very generous to me in the time I've known him. Without him, I'd probably still be sitting on a world living in ruins trying to survive. Here I can do good, I can save people. The droid army was a good idea, the fewer children growing up without parents the better."

Ahsoka looked at him in deep thought for a moment, "how old are you?"

Harry laughed out loud at that, "thank you ahsoka, that's made my day. The others are trying to politely learn my secrets and you want to know my age." He chuckled again, "have a guess."

"You're human, you seem like you've been fighting for a really long time, no wrinkles or grey to your hair, so I'm guessing a range of twenty five to thirty years."

Harry made a hurt face, "twenty five to thirty, I'm nowhere near _that_ old." He chuckled in amusement, "to answer your question I'm seventeen about to turn eighteen."

Shocked silence greeted his response and he laughed out loud at the faces they had made. "Really, that shocks you? Huh, who'd have thought. I'm only just an adult for my people."

Having recovered quickly from his surprise, Anakin looked at him, his brow creased in thought. "You mentioned a search, what do you mean by that?"

Harry frowned himself for a moment, "I'm afraid that is a rather personal matter, so I would ask you do not go any further on the matter."

Anakin sat back, "my apologies, I didn't mean to pry like that into your personal business."

Harry smirked, "nor will I your own."

Obi-Wan sat forward, "I have a question if I may," at Harry's hand motion to continue, "you use a lightsaber but are unknown to the Jedi council. Might I ask where you trained?"

"Ah." Harry nodded. "Count Dooku taught me what he knew and I have had a few other tutors during my time with him. But no, I'm not a Jedi, I have never been one, nor will I ever join their ranks. To be fair, other than a very, very small list I detest your order."

Obi-wan blinked at the blunt words given with no emotion at all, "detest?"

Trying to avoid an argument and save the pleasant evening, Padme interceded and asked a question, "I have to ask, you said you serve the confederacy rather than Dooku, why not serve the republic?"

"Ah, I wondered which of you would have the guts to ask me that. Why fight for them and not us, I could ask you the same question, but, I will explain my viewpoint. This is a long answer and I will become rather passionate about this, I apologise in advance for any rants or if I get over-excited."

"Have you heard my speeches padme? Have you read what I have written and sent out to the galaxy?" At her nod he continued, "No one has altered my words to my knowledge and I've checked what is said on both sides of the war to the best of my ability."

"The republic is corrupt and rotting from the inside, people starve and beg for aid, all it takes is for a pile of credits to swap hands and they are ignored. Suffering is commonplace and those best suited to spotting this and doing something sit in their ivory temple patting each other on their back for being so good at what they do."

"An example of this corruption if you will. Kalee, homeworld of General Grievous, attacked by the Huk, the people of Kalee defended themselves and drove off the invaders at great cost, they then struck at Huk worlds in retribution. What did the Senate do? They embargoed the Kaleesh and protected the Huk. General Grievous sold himself to serve beings he detests to feed his people, along the way he became what he is now. The bullies win and good people who did nothing wrong suffer."

"Another. The Kashyyyk or Hsskassi system, two species, different beliefs and cultures, hell one wears the other as decoration. Yet they can only have the one senator, two would be better, but currently the trandoshan senator has enough friends and resources to block any move to have a wookie voice in the senate."

"Those are but two examples of the immense numbers of problems that exist out there."

"Now, the next part of the problem, Jedi."

"Apparently, you are peacekeepers, a religious order who wander the galaxy to protect the innocent. So where are you? You are generals and commanders of the republics grand army, leading cloned soldiers into battle to die for the republic. Where's the peacekeeping there?"

"Do you even realise what people think of you out there. A young couple is celebrating the birth of their child, everything is wonderful, then one day along comes this stranger in robes and they inform you, not ask or discuss, they tell you that at some point in the next few years they will return and they will be taking your child away, that you'll likely never see them again and if you do they won't know you. What choice do they have, it's not like you'll stop them, after all they are legends, they could cut you down with their lightsaber or control your mind as they make you pass the child across with a smile, maybe they will walk away and your child will be gone the next morning as you wake, but worst of all, they convince you it's for the greater good. I detest that, someone who says they know better turns up, takes the child and dumps it for someone else to raise like a good little tool or weapon." Padme flinched at the hate burning in Harrys eyes, the Jedi all looking nervously between themselves. Taking a deep calming breath, Harry continued.

"Moving on, this war starts to build up, someone finally stands up to the senate and says no more. I won't let you do this to anyone else, they try to live a good life, to help others and they are attacked for it, punished for saying otherwise. They gather allies and finally an army to defend themselves and their beliefs, they choose to use droids rather than living things, that way they don't have to write to families to explain why people aren't coming home. Droids are easy to make, easy to replace, no names, just numbers and commands. It's easy isn't it, they are just things unless someone elevates them to something more in their eyes. No soul, so it doesn't matter, slaves to your commands. No will of their own. No choice. Legal slavery with no-one batting an eyelid."

"So why did the republic choose clones, they could have built and used droids as well. Instead they found a man, they copied him, trained them to be good little soldiers, a series of numbers and a gun, they sent these clones into battle and watch them die, it's not a problem, we can just grow more, it's not like it matters does it. It's not like they have souls, do they? The ones signing the orders don't get to know them, they don't make friends with them, they don't smile as the clones choose names and identities for themselves, they grow, breath, think, adapt, evolve and then die because some pencil pusher far from the war front throws them into a meat grinder to hold a strategic resource."

"That is why I serve the confederacy, to stop things like that happening, for families to feel safe and stay together. I am a necessary evil, a nightmare in a world of monsters. I try to save as many as I can. I choose to fight so others don't have to. For so long I've wanted to scream why me? Why doesn't anyone else take my place and do the things that you pretend never to have happened. And I look in the mirror and say why not. Would you torture someone else with these acts. In all my life I've met only one person who would have happily and knowingly taken my burden for me, but I could never inflict that pain on her, so I shouldered it, stood tall and pretended it didn't hurt so much, to smile with the pain, but she knew."

"I know my government isn't a bed of roses, shiny and clean, our hands are just as bloody as yours, so why do I follow them? Because we at least are trying to do something rather than maintain the status quo because that's how it's always been."

"Does that answer your question?"

"Yes" Padme whispered.

Standing he nodded to his guests, "I apologise ladies and gentlemen, I no longer feel well, if you will excuse me, I need to retire for the evening. I imagine you will want to return to your vessels, Hedwig will escort you back, please, the clothes are a gift, keep them with my blessings."

He quickly moved to leave the room and stopped at the threshold, turning slightly, but not enough for them to see his face, "I hope we do not face each other in battle, I truly hope that we will all meet once the war is over, whichever side is the victor." With that he left, his droid watching him leave before turning to the guests.

"Please, follow me, I shall lead you back to your vessels, your belongings are waiting for you there."

* * *

Dooku stood by his desk looking over his ancestral lands, deep in thought he turned to the desk and opened a channel to one of his agents.

"My Lord, how may I serve?"

"I want you to hunt down any fragment of data that links me to grievous' actions against General Jade, destroy and modify it as required. He did this on his own, there will be nothing to contradict that, is that understood?"

"Of course my lord, I shall deal with the matter personally. Is there anything else you require?"

"Not at this time." He cut the link as his agent bowed and returned to the window. "He must never know," he muttered to himself.

From the shadows to one side four green sensors watched the conversation.

The droid allowed twenty per cent of his processing to focus on his dilemma. He could not tell father about this, not yet, his orders were to protect the Count from all threats, his father would become a threat to his charge should he discover what had been done.

Annoyance flared through his pattern. His charge did not deserve father's loyalty, not after this. But father had given him orders, father followed the counts commands. Annoyance curdled to disgust, what if the count did it again? What if next time he ordered fathers termination? What would he do? Disgust boiled and became fear. Father would be in danger, he could not allow it. Should the count turn directly against father, then he would change from bodyguard to assassin, no matter the cost to himself, father must live. Fear burned and became hate. The droid savoured the experience for a moment. Whilst he lived, no-one would be allowed to hurt father.

He turned another ten per cent to his records reviewing his interaction with father, he opened the recording of his naming.

Father stood before him, a bowl in his hand filled with his blood, saturated with his power. He smiled up at the armoured figure before him. "I think I know the perfect name for you," he began to paint the sigils carved into the armour with the blood from the bowl using his finger to do so. Number seven watched the focus in father's eyes as he pushed his power into his creation. The droid felt a tingle flowing through him, the array now powered and active. The crystal at his core filled with the energy and hummed softly. He felt the feeling spread and cover him, protect him, guiding him.

Father looked up and painted a hieroglyph on his face between the sensors. "I name you Set." Pride shining in his eyes as he stood back. Number seven, no, my name is Set, looked at his father and for a moment wished he could smile, to show how important father was to him. He had given him a Name, he could feel the crystal within him hum in satisfaction at it. He would make his father proud.

Ending the recording and adding additional security to its protection, he returned his attention to his charge, he began planning and running simulations to prepare himself.

Dooku simply looked down on the orchards spreading out below, oblivious to the fact that the droids sensors all focused on his form, searching and studying him, the green strangely colder than before.

* * *

As they began boarding the ship, a second droid passed two boxes to Hedwig who nodded in response.

"Senator Amidala, Padawan Tano, father has these two gifts for you before you leave, he asks only that you open them in privacy and keep their contents a private matter."

Padme, took hers with surprise whilst Ahsoka took hers with a frown.

Hedwig bowed to them, "thank you for making father smile and laugh, it has been too long since he has relaxed that much, my brothers and I are grateful." Before they could respond the droid turned and walked away.

* * *

James walked calmly through the ancient halls, a tray with a collection of datapads before him.

He entered the area of his target and looking around saw the librarian watching over her domain, he walked towards her as if he belonged here.

"Master Jocasta Nu, I believe these were requested from the senate records by yourself."

Picking up the first, she quickly checked it before nodding and returning it. "Take it to that desk over there, transfer the data to the computer, I'll go through it later once it's all uploaded."

"As you wish Master."

Sitting at the designated table, James began performing his duties before quickly accessing the network, taking the marked datapad, he uploaded the hunter program. He quickly continued the process as if nothing was wrong, carefully wiping the infected datapad.

Now he just had to wait.

* * *

Padme sat in the quarters she'd been assigned on the cruiser, the box in her hand, slowly she opened it. Within sat a letter and a commlink.

Picking up the link she saw nothing odd about it. It was rather generic, but on its back was four words she didn't recognise. Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus.

Opening the envelope, she found a letter with a second folded sheet within with a wax seal. She carefully read the first letter.

Dear Padme,

First of all, it was a pleasure to escape the malevolence together, please understand I mean no insult when I say I hope to never undertake such events with you again.

However, on to more practical matters. Alongside this letter is a commlink. Attach it to any network and it will reach me, the password is written on the back of the device. It will work once and once alone.

Should you tire of the war, strangely decide to swap sides or simply require sanctuary from your enemies, send me a message and my agents will find you and extract you to safety. The offer is also open to a guest of your choice, I imagine you have one in mind should such events occur.

In addition to this is a letter, the wax seal is just to ensure this letter is read first. Within it is a question. If you feel brave enough, read it. All I want is for you to think about it with an open mind and answer the question with as much honesty as you can. Do not feel obliged to even open it, if you desire, feel free to burn it instead, I will not be upset if you do so.

Yours,

Evan Jade.

Padme looked at the second letter and put her thumb to the wax and took a deep breath.

* * *

Ahsoka sat in her room the box before her.

Within had been two sheets of paper and a strange gem, it was saturated with the force but was not a lightsaber crystal, it also didn't radiate its energies far at all, no sign of it at all if sealed within the box.

One of the sheets had a comm number with a note beneath it, memorise this, it may save your life one day.

The second had atrocious handwriting that just seemed to fit him, but the contents seemed to burn in her mind.

Greetings Padawan Ahsoka Tano.

Thank you for a pleasant evening, unfortunately it was cut shorter than I would have liked, however what small period of peace I was given was well received.

Please take no offense when I say that you are not ready for the conversations I look forward to in the future. You appear to have a hunger for knowledge similar to my own. You always want to know more but you have little patience for learning from books. You are more of a hands-on learner, better to do something than read about it.

The gem is a measure of trust in your honour. Keep it secret, let no others know of it. The secrets held within are powerful and will bring attention to yourself should you try and learn them.

But on to more important things. I apologise in advance for any distress I may cause, but you need to open your eyes and look. See beneath others words and actions, look upon what is really happening around you.

Keep your mind open and answer my questions as honestly as you can. Please, if only for yourself.

Do you remember the last time your parents held you? Do you remember how it felt? Without looking the records up, do you remember their names? Do you even remember what your parents look like?

When you are ready to talk more, I am waiting. You have the key to talking to me should you desire.

Evan Jade

Ahsoka sat there in deep thought for a moment before a confused horror built as she realised her answers.

* * *

James waited until the library was nearly empty, before returning. Finding a computer in a far corner, he connected to the network, waiting for the hunter program to finish its mission. His pad chimed, no data found. The hunter program dug deep into the system and hid waiting to be called upon again.

If he could frown, he would have. There was nothing in the records that even came close enough to warrant further investigation.

He cocked his head to one side as an idea formed. Turning back to the computer he brought up a list of Jedi in the field, he cross referenced it against skill sets, carefully scanning it he stopped and wrote some details down from a few files.

Blanking the screen he forced the system to wipe the last hours history and perform a restart. Whilst that was processing he left the halls, entering a jedi's chamber he quickly stole a set of robes and cloak, now dressed he pulled the hood up and walked around the halls, nodding to other jedi.

Having reached the gardens, he carefully walked towards the walls of the temple. Ensuring no-one was watching, he quickly climbed the wall and jumped into the depths of Coruscant, just as he was speeding towards a platform, he triggered the portkey.

Now aboard the Lily, he moved to the comms.

"Brothers, the Jedi have no data of use that I could access. Various fragments have been deleted or sealed beyond the security we could acquire. However, I have found a possible lead, we will require their services, I am on route to prepare guest quarters. Heka, Maahes, Anhur, I have a mission for you."

* * *

Padme stared at the letter now open before her.

First of all, I truly wished you had destroyed this letter, however you have decided otherwise, shall we begin?

Imagine the following as best you can. I doubt it will be hard for you to do so.

You are in love, you get married or don't, it's not important, you get pregnant, you have a beautiful baby, healthy and strong, Sandy or dark brown hair and his blue eyes. You have dreams of how they will grow up, their first words, their first step, where they will learn, bringing friends home to play, their first love, their first heartbreak, finding a career they love, meeting the one for them, getting married, having children of their own. You can see all this, dreams and wonders all.

Then one day, a few months in, maybe a year. A robed figure arrives at your door un-announced. They tell you that your child has been touched by the force, that one day someone will come and take that child away, they have plenty of reasons to use, they have had plenty of practice after all.

I think you can imagine the arguments they would use to try and sway you, it's for their own safety, for them and those around them, accidents will happen and others won't understand, to stop others becoming jealous at their gifts, they are different, do you want them to always be apart from their peers, wouldn't they be better somewhere that can look after them properly, that they can grow and become something truly special.

Hold that image in your mind, imagine how it would happen, now I want you to find a mirror, look yourself in the eye and tell me you wouldn't hate them for it. Or would you happily give your child to them? How does their greater good feel to you now?

I hope to any god you believe in, that you never have to feel that pain.

She turned and after a moment, looked at herself in the mirror.

* * *

 **AN:**

Cobbled together an image for this story :)

 **Reviews:**

Ahsanrox: Grievous knows he is unlikely to win fairly, so he plans to cheat as much as he can. Harry has a few epic fights coming up, but they will be in a while.

Ronin Kenshin: this is just kindling to what will come later.

Lord of Carrion: It has hurt the CIS in the loss of a dreadnaught and doubts in Harrys mind. Harry doesn't know that Dooku was behind it for a fact, but his loyalty has been frayed. Dooku will cover his tracks well, he's been lying to Harry for a while now, he knows the danger a rogue Harry could be to the plans. All it takes is someone to really look at skywalker and Amidala when they aren't in the public eye and are together and its obvious, most don't as they believe in all the hype of the Jedi, so they blind themselves to it. Harry doesn't. I've been trying to make sure I don't make any errors on the CIS naming. The republic uses separatist, the CIS uses confederacy, this is because the senate refuses to acknowledge that the CIS has broken away from the republic. Kenobi really annoys Harry, his holier-than-thou-I-know-better attitude does not help him in this. Plus he's really bad at reading the odds of a situation, after all, he can handle it. I hadn't even considered the idea of the Count being present. Man that would have been awkward.

Bluesnowman: thank you.

Starboy454: thank you.

Neon1311: thank you, the fallout might take a little while to fully appear but Sidious is really going to regret giving that order.

NoOneInParticular17: Huh, completely missed that, bit embarrassing as the writer. I could say he's had a late growth spurt but that seems like a cop out. So low end of average it is, at least for now, Harry will have a chance to change that later in the story.

Thorndsword: Sorry to hear about that, they aren't my favourites either, however they have a major piece to play in the wars.

Indecisive Bob: the facts aren't adding up, there's too much missing for them to really work him out. Plus Harry is enjoying his mind games with them, but its all for their own good in his mind :)

BioHazard82: thank you.

Kaioo: it never made much sense to me. well, unless you view it as pureblood propaganda to prevent muggleborns gaining too much power and influence.

Joe Lawyer: Grievous is getting dumped with the blame and Dooku is covering it up, but its just a matter of time. Their defences won't work against his magic as he is the source of the power starting them, basically he's warded them and they are his wards. If they fight him it would be their skill versus him, his force powers and his magic, not the most balanced fight.

Separ: thank you

Beloved Daughter: thank you. I've tried to show that he is still human, flaws and all.

Lycan01: Thank you.

Thunder18: thank you and the next chapter will be up on Friday :)

Savanti1: thank you

God of vampires: thank you

Chaoswizard: got plenty more to come :)

Mangahero18: thank you.

Monbade: he knows something is wrong in them but hasn't looked. He also doesn't have any prisoners to try on most of the time, which doesn't help.

SrgtHamy: request granted :) thank you for the note on the errors, I'll have a hunt for them later, I need to work on the future chapters first. Harry is unlikely to interact that calmly with jedi most of the time, they're usually trying to kill him. but sometimes calmer events will occur. He doesn't hate the clones, he actually pities them, so if he met them in a non combat event he would talk to them. If he got to know a few then his opinion is likely to shift, but its having the chance to do so.

Faykan: thank you, I'm trying to have most chapters to be around the 5000 word mark, but sometimes they won't let me. I noticed sev'rance when I was doing my early research and was going to use her as a throwaway character, but people seem to like her, so I've just bought the game she's in so I can understand her better to write her character more accurately.

Guest: Please log in when you review so I can use your name to prevent confusion. Mortis will be referenced and I may have a snippet of it or two in the background of other events. Harry will not be there himself.

Guest: Again, please log in for your review so I can use your name in responding. Sidious will learn about the Potter luck, its whether he learns about it in time to do anything though :) I do like that quote. Luckily his children have his magic in them and not his luck.

Andor Swiftblade: Glad to hear that. I hadn't actually thought of the Anglia, but it does have some parallels there. Dobby and the Droids, that would be an interesting conversation, also an amusing band name as well. Within the skull of each clone trooper is a biochip which holds certain orders waiting for a signal to trigger them, order 66 is one of those, it isn't the clone but it is connected to them, the lingering darkness was that. It is a secret that must be known and it tried to kill the clone to prevent discovery. Legilimency on a clone is possible with care and time, something Harry has not tried, if he knew that the biochip was a separate entity as well, that would make it easier as he could avoid that in his search.


	9. Making Friends and Opening Doors

**Chapter 9 – Making friends and opening doors**

The Jedi target was tending to the wounded, talking to her fellow Jedi.

She was calm and showed emotional stress, exhaustion openly displayed, she smiled at the other Jedi in amusement, the male Jedi attempting to improve her mood. Both Jedi were showing signs of their interest in each other.

Heka looked to his companions, Maahes and Anhur. "Target will return to her quarters to rest in approximately seventeen minutes according to observations. I will act as guardian of the anchor. Anhur, you are to draw the second Jedi's attention, use their shuttles, target the engines, nothing too permanent. Maahes, you are to strike and acquire our target, we will have a small window of opportunity. Move to your positions."

The male Jedi moved off a few minutes later to join a patrol on the camps edge. He frowned as he pondered her words, she made a good point about the futility of this conflict, her desire to escape and leave it all behind, find somewhere they could be free and together. He always made sure to show a smile and confidence, even if he wanted to do the same, but he was getting tired of the constant back and forth of the battles, this was the third time the republic and separatists had fought over this world, each time the fight more vicious and entrenched.

Maahes and Anhur moved like ghosts, their arrays consuming some of the precious energy stored within, the disillusionment and silencing charms working as designed. Anhur moved to the shuttles at rest, carefully placing explosives in the air intakes of the first shuttle and moved to the next one.

Maahes entered the Jedi's chamber and quickly packed her effects. A few minutes after he had finished she entered the room rubbing her eyes in her exhaustion. She glanced up and froze in confusion at the lack of her things. Maahes struck, his blaster on stun, before she could call for help. Somehow she reacted and she deflected the first shot with her lightsaber. Maahes then struck physically, quickly grabbing her wrists and shooting her once more. She slumped at that. He quickly collected her blade and gathered the target in his arms. He triggered the portkey taking them both to Heka and bypassing the guards. A moment later Anhur joined his brothers.

Kento Marek turned at the sounds of blaster fire but the explosions from the shuttles knocked him senseless for a moment, he staggered to his feet, the ringing all he could hear. He reached out with the force and caught a flash of fear from Mallie before he staggered in her direction, the troopers all moved to secure the perimeter, confusion reigned as no further attacks happened.

He called out her name, praying for a response as he found her room empty. Completely empty, he blinked in confusion before calling out again for her, the ringing now a whine on the edge of his hearing.

Heka watched the camp as his brothers moved to their vehicle, they still had to make it to the rendezvous, but things were going well. With a nod, he moved and joined his brothers, the three droids were looking forward to talking with their new guest.

* * *

Harry pondered once more what had happened with grievous; was he so desperate to destroy Harry, so afraid of him that he would strike like that? Did he see Harry as such a threat to his position?

In the end it was irrelevant, he could no longer be trusted to fulfil his duties properly. Not that harry would have trusted him to protect his back beforehand, but this was a bad sign in the scheme of things.

He brought up a display of the galaxy, the territories and warfronts displayed, blue for the republic and red for the confederates. He smiled at that, even here he couldn't avoid the colour red being tied to him.

A frown quickly returned as he noted a few systems that looked wrong, he was sure they had just pushed the republic from there, how had the front collapsed so easily. They really needed to reinforce that region.

Maybe… no, he needed to keep to the plan, Count Dooku had said that there were going to be feints to make the republic overextend, this must be one of those. He was noting a few ideas when his comms chimed.

He stood and moved across to the holocom, triggering it he bowed at the sight of his mentor.

"Count, how goes the advance?"

"Grievous' interference in your mission has cost us dearly Darth Abaddon. The loss of the malevolence has had major repercussions. The first fleet had been waiting for his arrival when I was notified of his attempt to steal your prize. I have had him recalled to Raxus to answer for his actions. I will handle this personally."

Harry nodded at that, "good, he is a useful weapon, however he has been getting more and more erratic as things have been escalating. I would prefer him to be either removed from the field completely or at least sent to the other side of the galaxy from me or I will remove the threat personally."

"Have no fear on that, he will be assigned to command the northern campaign, I have Ventress in the eastern campaign as a barrier between you. He is on his last chance before we have him scrapped, the cost of using him is beginning to surpass his abilities and purpose in this war. Luckily I have already chosen his replacement for the council should it be required," he gave harry a slight smile before continuing. "Now, on to lighter subjects, have you made any progress on the wand cores?"

"I'm afraid not, the few materials I've been able to test have not had any results. It's rather frustrating, I'm trying a few ideas based on Sith alchemy, but nothing has borne fruit so far."

"A pity. Continue on that path, I believe that you skills are too useful to not train others in them. However, we must move now onto more pressing matters and the reason I have contacted you. My Agents have heard some disturbing rumours coming from Mandalore."

Harry looked at his mentor with interest, "How so Count?"

"It appears that the Duchess is gathering an armed force and seems to be planning on joining with the republic. I am sending you and your force to the region to suggest that if she desired to enter the conflict, that she would be better suited to joining us."

"As you wish, I shall make a few pushes in the region, is Ventress aware I will be in her territory?"

"She has already been made aware of it and has also been informed to provide whatever assistance you require."

"Good, I'll make sure we have the Duchesses attention. Am I to interact personally?"

"I doubt it will be necessary, however be ready to intercede at a moment's notice should the republic begin to move to secure the world."

"As you wish Count." Bowing once more as he recognised the end of the conversation.

The moment the link ended he stood tall and moved back to his desk. Deciding on his targets, he reached for the comm to the bridge but stopped himself for a moment.

Returning to the display he brought up a system on the edge of Hutt space. Records of a pirate fleet causing trouble in the region. He had been planning to strike there before he received his latest orders.

He ran a finger along the map planning his route to Mandalore. He could make a detour and handle it on route. Scare a few Hutts on the way through their space, a touch of a threat to them saying that they can't stop him.

A smile broke out at this, two birds with one stone. Three actually. Build up popular support in the worlds victimised by the pirates, take the pirates resources for his own, expand his network for his future plans.

Quickly scanning through his records and after a few minutes found the note he was looking for. There was a trade federation fleet near the pirates, asteroid mining and a mobile refinery. They also had a mobile repair facility with them for the droids. With a few modifications, that facility could become a factory. Maybe he could get the numbers they needed faster with a little luck.

* * *

Master Mace Windu looked out over the temple below, a class of younglings were practicing their lightsaber skills. A few looked like they had potential and he let his mind wander along memories for a moment before returning to less pleasant thoughts.

A shadow moved and Windu felt the sudden appearance in the force of Master Tholme.

"One of these days you will do that and will end up dead my friend."

Tholme chuckled, "not today at least, but you don't summon me like this unless you require my skills."

Windu nodded, still watching the initiates below. "Separatist General Evan Jade, I require everything you can find on him. No stone unturned." He glanced to the man beside him, awaiting his response.

Tholme nodded, "understood, I presume you wish me to inform you directly rather than the council?"

"I would prefer that it was all in the open, but I believe this should be kept between a few for the moment."

Tholme bowed at that, "I'll begin immediately." Without any noise he walked away and disappeared from Windu's senses.

Windu frowned for a moment before letting his frustrations slip away. Something was crawling at the back of his mind about the general, there was something he was missing, something that would show him the path to act upon.

* * *

His fleet dropped out of hyperspace near the pirate base, his probe droids having allowed him to be so accurate.

Boarding action began, the pirates still arming themselves and in a few cases still dressing. Their ships only beginning to move as the droids began to board them.

Harry stood in the main meeting area of the small station hidden within the asteroid. With a wave of his hand one of the large boxes skidded over the floor to him, lifting the lid he saw it was full of gems, he froze for a moment at the red, green, blue and amber gems, before his eyes fell upon the other colours present. A small king's ransom in jewels in this one box, closing the lid he smiled at the generosity of his current hosts.

He motioned to his children as he took a seat at the end of a table. They each held the back of a pirate captain's neck. At his motion they marched his hosts across to the table and sat them down.

He looked at each one of them individually making eye contact and lightly running his senses across their thoughts. Ever since his first lessons in the force the mental arts had come much easier for him.

Nodding he began to speak. "Thank you for your invitation ladies and gentlemen. I am pleased we could all meet like this." His smile seemed happy and genuine, he could feel their confusion. "I would like to propose a few matters of business with you. It is quite simple really, I have need of individuals like yourselves, those with a certain set of skills and a willingness to use them."

He picked up a datapad and began reading it as he talked to them. "First of all I want you to know that I am taking half the containers upon this station, my choice of course, call it tribute if you will or simply paying me not to kill you all. The rest are for you to sort out. Now, I have three vacancies on my staff for individuals as yourself, unfortunately there appears to be eight of you. No matter, I'm sure you can sort that issue out. The remaining crews and ships will be shared between my new employees. Any questions?"

"Why should we do as you say, why should I work for you?" A human called out.

"Why you ask, well why not? After all my employees will have a certain advantage in the breathing department as well as having my personal attention on their progress, and I reward loyal service quite well, traitors, much less so." The smile faded.

"Look let me make this clear to all of you. I don't know any of you, I don't care. I require thieves and pirates to work for me, the rest is irrelevant. Those who work for me will be richly rewarded, if you want to do other stuff when I don't have things for you to do, then feel free. All I will take is a third of your acquisitions and your services when I require them. Other than that the rest is yours."

"Now, over on that box is five vibroknives, there are three openings and eight of you. Do the math, I'll be here waiting for the results."

* * *

James stood in the room as Maahes placed the Jedi's personal effects in the same positions as she had them in her quarters back on the war front.

Anhur placed her on her bed, checking her vitals. He looked up, "the sedative will wear of in approximately thirty seconds, she is healthy but will be hungry and thirsty."

At James' nod the other two left the room. The lightsaber sat in James hands.

The Jedi began to stir before sitting bolt upright, her eyes wide in fear. He could detect her heart beat hammering in her chest. She quickly scanned the room and saw him. Him and her lightsaber.

At the twitch of her fingers his grip tightened and he began to speak, "I would not attempt it if I were you, you will fail and it would be counterproductive."

"There is food and water beside your bed, all your effects bar weapons and communications devices are as you left them. We have need of your skills, once you have completed your task we will return you to any world of your choice. There you will be given the last of your belongings and left to be free. Do you understand?"

She didn't respond immediately fear and anger warring in her face, "what do you want from me?"

"I will take that as you understand. Your records show you have some talent as a seer. We have need of your skills in such a field to assist another."

"I won't give you military secrets or Jedi secrets."

His raised hand stopped her. "We have no interest in those. We are in search of a world, its location has been lost or hidden, we require a way to find it. You are our best chance to do so. We would have preferred another with more skill and experience but members of the Jedi council are difficult to acquire. You should rest, we will acquire items of personal relevance to our questions. If you require anything, speak out, you are under constant observation and it will be provided if possible."

He nodded and moved to leave. "One last matter. Should you escape, be aware that we will no longer protect you from the native life forms, this would be most detrimental to your health." With that he left the chamber sealing the door behind him. "Heka, guard her door, Maahes, observe her. Anhur and I shall acquire the material and prepare the area to begin."

* * *

As the fight began an attractive young Falleen female served him his drink, harry smiled and thanked her as he took it and drank, looking back at her he smiled and pointed at the seat next to his. "Sit. I have a few questions whilst they finish."

She did so, managing to hide her nerves but the force almost screamed with her fear of him and his intent. He looked her over making note of the rather sheer silks she wore as well as the slave collar at her throat. "So which one of them owns you?"

"That one," she pointed at a Trandoshan currently ripping the noisy humans left arm off.

"That one…" with a hand motion one of the vibroknives launched from the floor and impaled the Trandoshan in the spine. At his gurgled scream of pain his rivals turned and butchered him before returning to their own fights. "And now you are free." He gently reached over and removed her collar, her fear was now clouded with confusion. "Now that's sorted, I have a job offer for you. No need to fear, your body is your own. What I want is a loyal assistant, someone to act as an intermediary for me, perhaps you could think of someone who would be interested in the job?"

She stared at him for a moment in shock and surprise before a calculating glint appeared in her eyes. "I can think of someone who would be interested. What would your offer be?"

Harry tapped the table in thought for a moment, "I believe half my cut would be fair to act as my voice to a portion of my staff. No more, no less, I do not haggle. They would also have my protection or at worst my vengeance upon their attacker. Do you believe they would be interested?"

She smiled at him, "I do believe that is a more than fair deal, the names Xora."

"Evan Jade. I do believe they've finished up. Do you want to get changed or will you be okay in that?"

"I actually quite like this, I am rather beautiful after all, why not use it."

Harry smiled at her, "why not indeed, oh and a warning," he leant into her personal space to whisper in her ear, "use your pheromones on me purposefully and I'll do things to you that would give your ex employer nightmares. Am I understood?"

The fear returned as she nodded with a whimpered "yes."

He smiled at her, warmth quickly returning to his eyes. "Good, I can't stand people trying to manipulate me like that. Bloody Veela." Harry turned to look at the three victors, his children currently seeing to their wounds.

"Now, to begin with we will swear an oath. It's a tradition of my people, you will kneel and clasp Xora's right wrist, she will do the same, I will stand between you to bind the oath, you will answer the questions given clearly and simply. There will be no negotiations on these. A warning before we begin, breaking your oaths will result in your deaths, understood?" They sneered at what they thought was superstition but nodded.

He stood and motioned Xora to follow, he passed her a cushion to kneel on and motioned to the middle of the room. She nodded and he passed her a sheet of paper with some atrocious handwriting on it. "Do you know their names and species?"

She looked up to him and nodded.

"Brilliant, you there, the one with the tentacles, kneel there, clasp each other's right wrist, leave the other hand in your lap." As they followed his instructions he nodded, "good," drawing his wand from its holster he placed it on their joined wrists and nodded to Xora, "begin."

"Do you, Nym the Feeorin, agree to serve the being known as General Evan Jade in all things until he releases you from his service as if his words were law?"

"I will", he growled it out about to add an insult when a thin tongue of brilliant golden flame poured from the wand tip and wound its way around their clasped hands like a red-hot wire.

Her eyes widened in shock and looked up at Harry, he just nodded at the paper with a smile.

"And will you, to the best of your ability, protect his secrets from others as if they were your own until your last breath and beyond?"

A more quivering response this time, "I will." At that a second burning wire appeared around their hands.

With a gulp she continued. "And will you give your own life to defend his should it prove necessary during the length of your service?"

The pirate looked up to meet the cold green eyes burning into his own without mercy. With a shiver of fear he whispered "I will" at which a third wire appeared.

Harry smiled but did not release the spell just yet. He leant down and whispered in Xora's ear. She blinked at him in shock and he nodded towards the wires around her hand.

"And will you acknowledge that Xora the Falleen has permission to speak as the Voice of General Evan Jade himself."

He glared at her but nodded "I will."

At the fourth wire, harry released the spell, the wires glowed brightly before sinking into their hands leaving a fainter line across their skin in their path.

Harry smiled at them, "now, that wasn't hard was it?"

At the look of awe and fear on their faces, he smiled at the others, "let's get the next one done then shall we?"

Less than ten minutes later, the five beings sat at the table. Harry Potter, known as General Evan Jade to them, sat at the head of the table, to his right sat the beautiful Xora, the Falleen still seemed in shock at what had happened and the rise of her position in less than an hour. Nym the Feeorin, captain of the Lok Revenants sat between the other two opposite Harry and Xora. To Nyx's right sat Sol Sixxa, the Mere captain of the Mere Resistance, and to the left sat Avlin Varn, the female human captain of the Void Wings.

"Now, let's begin your work shall we? You three are going to acquire some items for me, you keep your crews but split the rest of them between you four, Xora, this place is yours now. I will leave you one of my children and a small force of droids to help defend this place until you are secure, split the spare ships between you to suit each of your styles." He watched as they glanced at each other, the three pirates were easy to read, Xora less so, her control quite interesting to him.

"Now it's simple, there's a small trade federation force nearby, I want their mining ships, the repair facility, the refinery ship and the materials held on the refinery, all the other loot is yours to do with as you wish, I will take no cut from that loot. The crews of the ships are yours to do with, just ensure this remains quiet."

As their fear faded before their greed he continued. "Once they have been acquired, you will bring them to this location," he slid a datapad across to them. "There you will leave the items and go off and have fun until you are called upon again, don't forget your tithes. Xora will handle everything on my end unless it is an emergency where I will contact you directly. You will be updated if any more join our… alliance." He looked them over as they agreed to his instructions. "I do believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"Now, if you three will excuse us, Xora and I need to work out a few minor details before I leave." He looked over to his children, "Mehen, you will guard Xora as if she was me, understood?"

The droid nodded, "Yes father, I shall begin sweeps and secure the station for her."

* * *

Master Windu looked at the data pad before him, "This is a lot less than I expected, is there nothing more?"

Tholme looked over to his friend, "It's all we have so far. We can estimate skill sets and abilities from knowing Dooku and the few reports we have of him in the field. Our problem is that there are few if any witnesses when he fights anyone. We have the recording from Ukio but we don't know if he was holding back or if he was using everything he knew. It's all suppositions."

"And your agents?"

"Everything they've gathered so far is in your hands. I can increase the focus on him but it may be noticed, I didn't think you wanted that to happen."

"No, we don't want to let them know how much we are investigating, false leads would hurt us."

"My thoughts as well. I have a few agents I can assign to dedicate to the target if you want? Three at most, they've worked together in the past, they can dig a bit deeper for us."

Windu looked at the pad and brought up an attached file. "Elia Tanna, she was promoted after her masters death on Bespin, you believe she's interacted directly?"

Tholme nodded, "I do indeed and early in his career I would imagine by the incident. Apparently she healed a shoulder wound caused by a blaster. Noted he had a strange presence in the force, I can investigate further if you wish?"

"Where is she posted?"

"Here at the temple, she's one of the healers in the medical wing, very talented, too talented to risk on the battlefield. Her skills have been noticed by two of the other masters on the council, she's currently learning the art of Morichro. That's how good she is."

"I think we should have a quiet chat with Knight Tanna, see what she remembers."

* * *

James sat before their guest in the empty chamber prepared for her meditations, a few items were in a box to one side. He pointed to it, "You may begin, I will be here as well to witness and record anything you say. A full disclosure of your visions would be appreciated. Be aware, we are observing your body, lies will be detected and we will be most displeased with the attempt. Are you ready to begin?"

She looked over the chamber and the boxes, "I am ready."

Curiosity burning in her mind, Mallie sat and soon relaxed into a meditative state, she then reached out with the force towards the box and placed it before her, she opened the lid and lifted out a torn and burnt jacket, well-worn and stained with old blood. A pale grey in colour, below it were other articles of clothing.

On top of them is an image, folded many times over the years, the image was moving which surprised her, but she ignored the dancing couple for a moment and continued. A glass cube holding fragments of a necklace of some kind, intricate golden pieces scorched as if by a great heat. Another image, also moving but much newer, a young girl in a vibrant blue dress descending some stone steps. Finally a white feather, soft but it held a powerful connection within its essence.

She took the items and placed them before her carefully, each item handled with reverence. They all linked to one individual, his power saturated the items with his presence.

She reached out, placing her hands on the items before her and opened herself to the force, searching for the world of origin.

* * *

Harry leant back into the comfy chair in his room on the shuttle whilst the droids piloted him back to the Hermione, he poured himself a drink. Watching the clock begin a new day he saluted the air and called out loud, Happy birthday to me, and took a drink.

A surge of his magic and the alcohol ignited, quickly burning away as if he had drunk it all. An offering to those he had left behind.

Mimicking Hagrid's accent and voice, he looked at out the window at his fleet, "yer a pirate Harry."

* * *

 **AN:**

The last line is the reason I've hurried to publish this story to release this chapter today :)

Please be aware that I will be slowing down updating to give me a group of chapters ready to release whilst I work on future chapters, I'm catching up rather quickly.

 **Reviews:**

Omnombob: Its now when not if harry finds out, Dooku is not going to be happy about it at all.

Rimtuuk: thank you.

Ahsanrox: :) I had trouble thinking of what could be discussed without it devolving into a duel on the table, Kenobi whilst being a diplomat will just annoy harry too much and Anakin doesn't want to trigger any arguments as Padme is there and could get hurt. On the Ahsoka front, it's a work in progress :)

Ronin Kenshin: thank you.

AnFan-n-More: I have all their names already sorted, there's a theme to most of them. He lets them study what they like to advance themselves. Harry isn't a god or anything like that, nor does he see himself as one, his children are just droids with odd sentience, they see him as their father as he gave them life and guides them. When harry goes back, it will be the start of a distinct shift in Hermione, if you look at the challenge his return will be in the third year. He knows what will happen and can guide her to becoming something great.

Starboy454: thank you. Harry's primary goal is to go home, everything else is secondary. He has a plan in mind with Ahsoka and Padme, he doesn't know their future but he can predict problems coming.

Beloved Daughter: thank you, it was a rush to see those stats. Some will be ignored, others will fester :)

Meja9201: thank you, I hope I can continue to entertain everyone.

Bluesnowman: thank you.

Michaelsuave: thank you. I hope you enjoy where it goes.

AnimeA55Kicker: that is his armour, it's not the best image, but it's based on the Sith Eradicator armour from Star Wars The Old Republic, with a few colour changes.

Blackholelord: I'm happy you enjoyed this one, personally I think it's one of my worst chapters, but that's self-criticism for you. The older Jedi are too blinded by their cult upbringing, but the seeds of doubt have been laid. Harry believes in the ideals of the CIS, he sees a lot of parallels between the Republic and the Ministry of magic. harry is becoming what I term a light side Sith, willing to do a lot of nasty things to protect what he believes to be his but he still lives by a code.

BioHazard82: Thank you.

Joe Lawyer: It was something that always got me, the Jedi are a cult which brainwashes children who in turn repeat what happened before. There was also a phrase which annoyed me about them a lot, only the Sith deal in absolutes… what was that right there then? I never wrote that Harry was perfect, he still makes mistakes. Harry trusts Dooku, he's latched onto the man as an almost father figure, he has blinded himself to the danger because he doesn't want to even consider such a thing could happen, he knows it could, but he doesn't think it ever would, as far as he's concerned he hasn't done anything to warrant such a betrayal. There's also the fact that Dooku's orders were not to kill Harry, simply to break his chain of victories and weaken his position, grievous understood the orders differently and decided to use the opportunity, not that it helped. The droids orders were to protect Dooku from all threats, harry never put that order in about himself. A slight holdover from his experiences with Dobby. The droid is adapting its own orders and looking for a loophole to use to protect his father.

Lord of carrion: Dooku is biased and underestimates droids, they are just things to him, tools to be used. Their relationship will depend on when things are discovered and what information is given. The republics propaganda and attitude is incredibly hypocritical but its hidden from the majority of people, most don't even know a third of the truth of what's happening, if they even care. A dementor brings up the victims worst memories, so for most Jedi it would have nothing to do with their parents, most don't even think that it was a bad thing to do. The letters were an attempt to get people to open their eyes and do something, he doesn't care what, just that they choose to do something about it.

Thorndsword: I understand your viewpoint on the matter, as I said above I believed this to be my worst chapter. Manipulation is a good phrase to use, hammer his view across, walk away before it can be debated properly and let it stew. Then add a touch of harsh truths and let them think about it.

God of all: thank you. Don't worry about carrying it on, I have up to chapter 15 mostly done already.

Elisa-didlittle: I'm glad you're enjoying it. If a Jedi had found him, he would have studied with them but wouldn't have stayed long with them, his attachments would have caused too much conflict to stay. Harry's partnership has been frayed, he's looking for things for himself now. It won't look like much to begin with, but it will build up further as the story progresses.

Faykan: I've only just begun playing so it might be a while before I get her correct, but like I've said, she's more a background character than a foreground one.

Indecisive Bob: as I said right at the beginning, this harry acknowledges his full range of skills and abilities. Its less a rebellion in a rebellion, more trying to make the CIS what its claiming to be, despite the best actions of the leadership involved.

SrgtHamy: Thank you. I'm glad to have given you a few questions to think about.

Red Demon161: I found the challenge whilst looking through DZ2's forums and liked the idea so I decided to try it. I hope you enjoy how it goes.

Elim Garak: Thank you. I try to keep an eye on things like that but it sometimes slips through, especially when I'm half asleep posting the chapter.

: Thank you. If you look at the challenge, he will return I his third year. But don't worry Darth Abaddon is going no-where. Harry has learnt a lot about how to manipulate from behind the scenes.


	10. Visions and manipulations

**Chapter 10 – Visions and manipulations.**

Harry finished the file on the Mandalorian's, putting it down he pondered the best way to handle them. It was almost like the new Mandalorian faction under Duchess Satine of Clan Kryze was afraid of violence, it was almost as if they didn't trust themselves to not escalate things too far. Or maybe she feared not wanting to stop if she started.

He looked over at the screens displaying their territory. Once galactic conquerors now reduced to this, a lesson to others about hubris and advancing too far too fast. Apparently the clone troopers followed some of the traditions of the Mandalorian's of old, not that it was really helping them much.

He checked the screen displaying their location, they were nearing the moon of Concordia in order to investigate the information supplied by Dooku's agents. Then he would have to decide how to handle things, whether to discuss matters directly or not, if the duchess is returning to the old ways, then bring her on side, if not, find out what is actually happening.

The woman was proud but not stupid. He looked at her file again. Unmarried, no current relationships or lovers, nephew in the academy, a sister who has joined Deathwatch. Interesting, a possible family feud then. No record of another sibling, missing files or a lack of one. Possible skeleton in her closet?

He wrote a few notes, attain DNA samples of the duchess and her nephew, see how closely related they are.

A tone demanded his attention from his desk, ah, he had arrived, time to get to work.

* * *

Mallie sat meditating on the items before her, searching for hints as to their owner and their origins. The force seemed reluctant to even begin in such matters, she let her mind flow with the force, as if an ancient sailing ship upon a sea, looking for a beacon to guide her way.

The force seemed as if it was covered in a thick mist, nothing appeared and she began to think that this was a waste of time. Then a whispered "Oh Harry" brushed by her mind and a faint light broke through the mist.

And the visions began, a torrent she could not stop, her mouth beyond her control, babbling words in an attempt to speak of what she could see, her mind saturated with images and sensations, with each heart beat the light grew and came closer.

"A pink toad demon dragged into twisted forests by strange beings, screaming for help. Satisfaction sings in the echoes, balance, suffering for suffering."

"A mirror, a whispered name Erised, a red gem beating with power like a heart, a man with two faces screams as a boys hands touch his flesh."

"A song echoes, peace and joy, a fragment of a star given flesh, eternal and forever, symbol of a great cycle. Why does it cry?"

"A great arch, tall and powerful, seeped in darkness. A boy with shining green eyes stands before it, the light of a star shining over his heart, death strikes with green light and the boy falls."

"The last bastion, the last of the light holding the gates, aged and scared by war an ancient maiden was weaving a great confluence of the force. Stars exploded overhead, burning the land in fire, unleashed by old men in suits with black ink dripping from their eyes and ears."

* * *

Harry looked around the site, they had left in a hurry, they had fought someone before they left. The reports said Obi-wan Kenobi had been here, obviously he had fought Deathwatch, he was still alive so either he had escaped or driven them off. Duchess Satine was renowned for being a promoter of peace and pacifism. For her to allow a group of her people to return to the old ways of her people. No, something was wrong here, unless she had pretended to be her image for over a decade, very unlikely. He stood and turned back to enter the Lily, running through the information he already had.

Entering the cockpit he took his seat and began to fly the ship back to orbit between the planet and moon. He opened comms to the fleet. "Where is the Duchess Satine Kryze?"

A droids voice responded. "Our spies indicate she is currently on route to Coruscant."

"Hmm… I am altering course to Sundari, I will await her return. No need for guards, I have enough with me."

* * *

The images wouldn't stop, they flowed through her, disjointed and mere glimpses of greater events. Shudders began to strain her muscles but the force was rushing through her, it would not let her go.

"Kill the Spare, a flash of sickly green."

"A shining beacon of joy burns into the darkness, souls saved by the light, but the darkness sees him, knows him, remembers him now. And it is hungry. So very hungry."

"A strange feline like creature rears back, golden and proud, defiant to the end, brave. A bloody field behind it."

"A small chamber, a little boy, the freak with eyes of green, small chalks in his hand, a picture of a strange foodstuff and flame, a whispered children's song."

"A thousand and one arrangements of strange markings covered an immense chamber, a great crystal and golden structure sat within the heart of it all. Golden sand filled the carved markings, shining like stars. Each grain ringing like an immense bell as it fell."

* * *

Harry entered the throne room of the New Mandalorian's and surveyed it. All rather cubist, not to his personal tastes, but the natives seemed fond of it. From a side chamber a tall regal figure entered.

"Prime Minister Almec, a pleasure to finally meet you." Harry bowed politely to his current host.

Returning the bow, "Indeed General Jade, might I enquire as to the reason you have entered neutral space?"

Harry smiled at the man, observing him carefully. "I have come to introduce myself and to ask a few minor questions. You hear all sorts of rumours and I want to put them aside."

"Indeed? I dread to wonder what rumours you've heard."

"I have heard plenty of the Duchesses legendary desire for peace, her pacifist ways, whilst not mine, are to be admired. That some of the rumours say that she is gathering an army to join the war disturbs me. I presume they are all lies, but I felt it important enough to come personally to enquire."

Almec sighed, "yes, Deathwatch. I am afraid that you have heard rumours about a terrorist organisation seeking to destabilise the government and return us to our violent past. They answer to a traitor called Pre Vizsla."

"I apologise for how this comes across Prime Minister, but I would appreciate it if I could hear the denial from the Duchesses own lips. I believe you of course, but when I return to Raxus, I can at least alleviate some of the confederacies concerns."

Almec nodded, "I take no offense and understand completely, unfortunately the Duchess has travelled to Coruscant to speak to the senate. They are moving to occupy this world to bring order and peace, but we're afraid that it will in turn bring the war to our homes. Your presence here will not aid in such matters."

Harry raised a hand to stop Almec continuing, "and that is why I came with a few bodyguards in my personal vessel, my fleet arriving would have not assisted anyone, plus it would be rather rude of me to just arrive with my forces in orbit without an invitation to do so."

"And we are grateful for your consideration. We unfortunately do not have an embassy for you, however we can provide lodgings for you as our guest, it would be preferable that you maintain a minimum bodyguard, I mean no offense but a large armed confederate force would not help the image of you, nor the Mandalorian's."

"I take no offense Prime Minister, I was in fact about to suggest something along those lines myself, I shall have only the one bodyguard if that would be acceptable? The remainder of my guards will remain on my ship unless they are needed, I doubt they will, but you never know."

Almec smiled at him, "of course, one is perfectly acceptable and would minimise any disruptions that may occur. I will transmit details for your lodgings to your ship as soon as they are ready for you, it should not be long. Please join me tonight for a meal, it would be nice to hear your view on our culture."

Harry smiled at the offer, "I would be honoured, I have a fascination with history but know little of yours, perhaps you could enlighten me on the matter."

* * *

"Dark eyes burn into his mind, his thoughts scattered and reaped before the eyes stop their assault, their rape of his mind. Clear your mind. Again. Pain returns."

"A girls voice echoes in a strange language but Mallie feels the meaning of them, she's beautiful. Periwinkle blue flows down stairs."

"Green eyes burning in the dark, reflected in the mirror. A girl humming echoes drawing the green back towards the light."

"Fiery letters in a strange script hover in the air, they dance and reveal a secret too terrible and great."

"A thousand and one species, multiples of everything. Held in crystals. Seeds to be scattered across the cosmos. They would be their legacy, safe from the hated consumer. Dark ink starts to spread from the doorway at the edge of the design."

"Please," Mallie begged to the air, "let me go, it's too much, please." Blood began to run from her nose, a slow drip staining pale skin.

* * *

"Sirius, you are my bodyguard for my stay. Maintain communications with your brothers, just in case. Anubis, you are on espionage, find out what you can about this Deathwatch, they may be of use to us. Get access to their security network, infect them with a few programs to give us clearance and information. Then proceed to convert… fifteen droids into sleeper agents. Once you have done all that, return to the Lily unless otherwise ordered."

As the droids moved to their posts, Harry gathered a few changes of clothes and a few gifts for his hosts, always a good idea to make a good impression with his hosts.

He grabbed the datapad on the way out, continuing his studies on Mandalorian culture and history. It would be interesting how open his hosts would be if they believed that he knew very little.

* * *

"Mars is bright tonight."

"A knife cutting, fire driving back the night, white long limbs stretching, shadows wreathing around the figure, fear, pain, relief, emptiness, hate. Red eyes turn to face him."

"A moment of reality held in place, crystallising around the power held within. A star burns golden in its prison. Soon another joins it, then another until it rains stars. The universe holds its breath and looks back."

"Pain, hunger, confusion, why? Fear, darkness, I'm sorry, I don't know why it happened. Please, no more, why won't you love me?"

"The darkness hammering at the gate, another light burnt away, a titan stood tall holding the gates to the last, black poison seeping towards his heart, twinkling eyes hiding the pain and sacrifice he performed. The other lights fell back to protect the heart."

Most of the images revolved around the boy with green eyes, his thoughts, his experiences, but a few did not include him. They felt different, alien to the flow. Mallie tried to hold onto those, these were what she was looking for, they held the key to her search. Eyes blind to the world opened and tried to focus on them, tears of blood falling to the ground.

* * *

Harry strode into the throne room, a figure of confidence and power. Enough to show strength, but humble enough to not insult. The New Mandalorian's were an odd bunch, pacifists from a culture dedicated to combat, all because of a civil war that escalated too far too quickly. He surveyed the room, Sirius in his shadow.

"Your Grace, a pleasure to finally meet you." He smiled charmingly at the Duchess who looked rather tired, but she waved him forward, her advisors watching him like hawks. "I heard about the incident on the Coronet and the republics attempt to occupy your world, I am pleased that you are unhurt and such an event has not occurred."

Her voice was strong and held none of the exhaustion he could feel from her. "We are all grateful that events were stopped from escalating too far. I am rather curious general, and forgive the bluntness, but why are you here?"

He smiled at her as he responded, "I am afraid I heard some rather disturbing rumours and came to personally make sure they were lies and mistruths to cause conflict between us. I have already discussed the matter with your Prime Minister and he has alleviated my concerns, however I mean no insult when I say I must ask you directly. May I?"

Curiosity in her eyes, she waved at him to continue.

He nodded, "I am afraid that I must ask you if you are raising an army in order to enter the conflict on the side of the republic." At the look of fury on her face, he raised a hand to stop her response. "Please Duchess, I am well aware of the crimes performed by this Deathwatch faction. I have been informed of their goals by your Prime Minister and see no reason to doubt him nor yourself. I merely wish to hear the denial from your own lips to my own ears so when I return to Raxus I can inform the Senate about the situation and your personal denials on the matter."

"Deathwatch is a terrorist faction that we are dealing with, it is an internal matter and requires no external interference. We have no interest in joining either side of this conflict."

Harry bowed at that, "my thanks for your response, I will pass on your words to the senate exactly as you have spoken them to me. If possible I would like to turn to less stressful matters."

He felt her anger simmering along with a taste of frustration but she calmly motioned for him to go on.

"Due to your stance as a neutral entity, I would like to propose that the confederacy be allowed to construct an embassy here. We would also like to propose a treaty between you and ourselves. Whilst I do not follow your view of the galaxy, I do admire it. I would be happy to propose such a peace treaty to my senate, but I wished to discuss the potential between ourselves first."

He watched as her eyes widened in shock at the idea of such a treaty. Whispers carried around her advisors as they tried to imagine what he gained. "You wish to propose a peace treaty between the neutral systems and the confederacy?"

"Yes I do, believe that the only beings involved in the conflict are those who choose to be, you wish to be left alone and I can understand that, I agree that you should be given such a choice and it be honoured. That is the argument I will be bringing to the senate. My only fear is that the republic on hearing this will denounce you as traitors and move to occupy your worlds. As part of the treaty I will suggest that we assist you to defend your territory only if we are called upon. We will not enter such conflicts without permission. I am not here to force our will or trample over your rights. We want you to be thinking for yourselves, a beacon to others of how the galaxy could be, an example to others. I am no diplomat or ambassador, I came to you with a dream, an idea. I hope you will assist me in making it happen, but I will not be insulted if you feel it is against your interests to do so."

Duchess Satine's eyes seemed to bore into him, he noticed her flinch at her own words being used, "and if we allowed you an embassy and considered your words, what sort of… security force would you leave here?"

"How many would you like there to be?"

She blinked in surprise, "you would let us define your numbers?"

"Well I presume that you would allow appropriate staff to assist an ambassador to yourselves, however, we can provide a wide range of guards to protect the embassy and the staff involved. I would prefer enough to protect our interests, but not enough to cause discomfort for you and your people. Ten, maybe twenty of the rogers, a B2 or two alongside that number, maybe a trio of droidekas. So between fourteen to twenty five combat droids as an armed force, an ambassador and their staff. You choose their location, we will provide the rest, in fact I will supply the security force personally from my own guard. I would also prefer a secure courier shuttle should the ambassador require its services, but again, we will supply that."

She leant onto one of her hands and scrutinised him once more. "General Jade, you appear to have put great thought into this matter. Mandalore will remain neutral. But we will allow you an embassy, it will be nearby within the city, I believe we have something that can be used right away, the Vizsla clan's estate has recently become available." She paused for a moment. "Peace is a rare and valuable thing, I would do well to take the opportunity, however it will need to be discussed further amongst the council."

Harry nodded respectfully, "of course, I expected as much, I will contact my government and begin organising things on my end. As an offering of good faith, my fleet will withdraw from your council's territory immediately unless called upon, I will also inform the nearby fleets to leave your territories alone. I will personally travel to Raxus to propose the idea of a treaty and to update them on the Deathwatch issue. If you will excuse me, I shall get started on that immediately. It was a pleasure talking with you Duchess," he bowed to her and then nodded to Almec, "Prime Minister, my thanks for your hospitality."

* * *

"A battle, warfare amongst an obsidian chamber, purple fire ripples across the air and cuts into a girl, agony and horror burns as she falls."

"A wooden goblet filled with blue flames, a puff of red flame and a name is chained."

"A woman crowned in fire dances around a fountain with a man crowned in night, joy shining in their eyes before they turn once more."

"Blood dripping from a red quill, a toad like being wreathed in pink, its face almost splitting with its joy at the pain. Flesh flayed with the words, inscribed for all time."

"The angel stood, the silver blade shining bright in his hand. The darkness rears, the ink forming a shape, tall and thin, red eyes full of hate burn into his soul, the edge of its robes moving as if alive. The tentacles of ink sharpen and strike, the angel shielding the others with his flesh, flayed to hold back the dark."

Blood fell from her mouth, she had bitten her tongue to shreds but still stammered the words. The wounds healing as the force flowed through her, it demanded to be known, it must be known. Mallie grasped at the edges of her sanity, buffered in the torrent of knowledge. fingernails tear free from her scratching at the floor, trying to stop her body ripping itself apart.

* * *

Dooku's voice rang out amongst the chamber, "to the next piece of business, General Evan Jade has requested to propose a bill to the senate."

"Ladies and gentlemen of the senate, you have all received a copy of my proposal put forward today. It is my desire that we make a treaty between the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Council of Neutral Systems. They wish to have no part in the war between ourselves and the corrupt republic, I believe that we should honour such a choice. We chose to leave the republic due to the corruption and rot festering at its heart, they remain loyal to the republic but do not wish to fight. They are unsure. With this treaty we can open their eyes fully, let them see the truth without republic propaganda distorting matters. Give them the information to make an informed choice. At worst, they remain neutral and do not involve themselves, at best they join us in our fight for civilization. In addition it will give us more legitimacy to our position as a separate government to the Republic. It is every sentient beings right to be able to make a choice, let us not take that from them as the republic has already done."

Dooku nodded sagely from his seat. Not bad, a passionate display, his apprentices' reputation for honour and public service to protect people had aided in this. It ran counter to his masters plan, to bring chaos and war everywhere. But this was also of use, if those systems remained neutral, they would not join the war, less forces and resources against them and when everything was finished, they would join the victors or fall. As an added bonus, should the republic be prodded into sending troops into neutral regions, then others might be scared into joining the confederacy for safety.

He spoke over the muttered conversations. "I believe that this should be put to a verbal vote. Please, all make your choice." He smiled towards harry as he made his vote, a little emphasis on his last word would have nudged a few of those who would have abstained into a choice. It was such a pity, he thought, that Harry disliked politics, he had such potential. Maybe later once this was all over.

* * *

"A flash of white, sharp claws, golden eyes shining in the dark. The first gift, loyal companion. Friend."

"An immense hall almost without end, filled with shining moons, whispers of what was meant to be and what will be, dark figures stand in the shadows, a hand reaching out for the moon in the boys hand. Curiosity warring with hatred."

"Red eyes burning in the dark, reflected in the mirror. A pale finger rising and making a slow slashing motion on his forehead, as if tracing something. Are we so different?"

"A jungle surrounds the child, gold and red fire burning within a form slashed with darkness wearing a vile crown, a golden knight with a heart of darkness caressing the last fragment of the light within, the knight kneels and offers its hand, the child smiles and takes it."

"The moons daughter, always with her feet in many worlds, her eyes scanning other places and times, she whispers to the heart, I see him, pouring her life and power forth into the ritual, her essence burning pure and powerful, a beacon against the dark."

Mallie fell to the floor fully, curling up into a foetal position, her nerves screaming in agonies unknown. The force singing and roaring into her mind. Too much, it was too much, but it won't stop. The Force began to fold upon itself, the light and dark writhing around her, to show her, to save her from the truth.

* * *

Harry looked at the Ambassador opposite him, "you're sure of this?"

The Twi'lek stared at him for a moment, "our agents are very thorough general. Deathwatch is growing as a threat to new Mandalorian leadership, we believe that there are several members of the higher ranked government who are in agreement with Deathwatch's desires."

Harry turned back to the file, "Senator Amidala, what were you doing there?"

"She was involved with the duchess in a minor skirmish with smugglers, she had been invited by the duchess as a friend to visit."

"I believe we can forgive her that, don't you. I imagine it's rather lonely in her court. An attempt to have advice on her options perhaps? I noted a related series of incidents, something about poisoning children."

"Ah yes, greedy smugglers altered their produce to improve their profit margin. It had an unexpected result, the children were the weakest targets and showed symptoms first."

"Children should be kept safe." He quickly locked down his thoughts skittering away from his own actions on Bespin. "Smuggling seems to be a prevalent problem for the region, what's this about Prime Minister Almec?"

"It appears he was heavily involved in the smuggling operations, Duchess Satine's nephew discovered the conspiracy and it was resolved internally. Apparently he attempted a coup when he was discovered."

"How badly did he fail?"

"It was a messy affair, a lot of his conspirators have been acquired by Mandalorian internal security. We have a few contacts amongst the remainder who avoided the fallout."

"Give them a few nudges, make sure they're pliable to our interests, if not give the duchess the evidence. I believe that a small gesture of good will would not be amiss, transfer a grain shipment to Mandalore with our best wishes."

"General? They are all spoken for at this time, our own people will be affected."

Harry stood and moved to his window, looking down on the estates gardens. "Acquire some more, I shall personally cover the expense from my own accounts. I know what it is like to be hungry ambassador, I would not wish that on our people, nor our friends."

The Ambassador looked over to the young man silhouetted by the light outside. "As you command general, I will see to it personally."

Harry nodded as his secretary entered as the connection ended, "General, I have a message for you. Your toys are on route as requested, from Xora."

"Thank you, have the Lily prepared for tomorrow, I will be returning to my fleet then, in the meantime, please check if senator Bonteri is still on world, it would be good to see how she's doing."

"Yes sir." The secretary bowed as she left the room.

Harry returned to look at the gardens below, his smile showing his pleasure at the news.

* * *

"A great winged beast forged from horns and blades screams out its anger and rage at the boy, he stands strong before it, his eyes flicker around the arena and he finally sees her. Relief, strength, pride. He raises a hand and cries out to the heavens."

"Darkness and cold surround him, a song echoes in the dark and deep, three sacrifices laid before him. A crown of fire, the betraying brother, crowned in gold, the unknown innocent, crowned in tigers eye, the heart."

"An old man's voice, joy and pride shining as he spoke. Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple. Great Things, terrible but great."

"The serpent rears back, hate, anger, rage fuelling him, shining silver blade in his hand, the serpent strikes, pain, so much pain, but she is avenged. Will she miss him, it would be nice to be missed."

"The heart finished her weaving, now the ancient maiden could rest, could join her chosen one, the ritual complete. She whispered a name and burned away in the golden flames. A guiding star in the heavens to bring him home to her."

Mallie's spine arched, her muscles creaked in their strain, blood poured from tears in her flesh. The blood formed strange patterns as the force flowed around her. Her mouth spread wide in a rictus of agony and screaming, but still the words poured out of her as if she was simply discussing the weather. Her eyes clenched shut in an attempt to block the visions.

* * *

The blue image of Count Dooku stood tall and proud looking at his protégé. "Darth Abaddon, I hope you enjoyed Senator Bonteri's hospitality."

"As always she was a most gracious host."

"Indeed, I find her conversation most delightful, but on to more pressing matters. I believe it is time for you to unleash your toys."

Harry nodded and smiled, "as you command my lord."

As the comm link deactivated he turned to Hedwig. "Set course for Mustafar, I require a suitable site and space to do this. Move the storage vessels there. It's time we really got fighting."

He moved to a section of the comms system and began typing the passwords. With a smile he authorised the message held within and returned to his bridge. Sitting in the captain's chair he whispered, "it's showtime."

* * *

"A woman begging, Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead. A man's voice, This is my last warning. The woman once more, Not Harry! Please, have mercy, Not Harry! Please, I'll do anything. A flash of green."

"A world wreathed in storms, ancient ruins dripping with the dark side struck by purple lightning. A stagnant corpse of ancient glories and darkness, sinking into a great jungle. A flash of golden light drives back the darkness before becoming lost in the mist. Thunder without a flash echoing across the cosmos calling for the anchor."

"A world green and blue shining in the sky, a single white moon dancing around it. Darkness claws across the land like ink, leaving only a few beacons of light which fall one by one."

"The world cracked, columns of golden fire erupting from within. A great wind rises, scouring the land, leaving a smooth sphere bar the cracks and rifts spewing golden light into the heavens. The star shudders, the fires merge and then in a moment of silence. A held breath. Supernova."

"From the darkness a pale white face emerges, as if rising from a sea of black ink. Faint scales reflect the light, no nose but slits flare as if they can smell her. Red eyes open, hate, anger and rage burn within, they bore into her very being, pain erupts as if a thousand knives dig into her very nerves. I see you."

Mallie opened her eyes wide and Screamed.

* * *

 **AN:**

Thought I'd get this out today so i can enjoy my birthday tomorrow :)

 **Reviews:**

Philosophize: Thank you for your review, its nice to hear you are enjoying it. I've read the Darth Marrs story and enjoyed it quite a lot. My biggest problem is that there is a lot happening in the background that I feel I need to cover as well. Then there's going to be the part where Harry returns, that's going to be hard to handle well. But I'm looking forward to the challenge :)

Xearthes: Glad you enjoyed it. I hurried to get this chapter out for today, I wrote it as a throwaway line but then checked the calendar and thought, I can publish it in time.

Eljin1: Thank you.

Lord of Carrion: Harry would not approve of maul at all, so that will be an interesting phase of the story. Bo-Katan will come into the story, don't worry about her. Do as I say, not as I do windu is indeed looking into Harry, the chaos that will cause will be fun to write :) Harry the secret pirate is a useful little weapon I his arsenal, a source of income and resources Dooku doesn't know about.

God of all: thank you, don't worry about it stopping any time soon, got plenty more already written.

X-marks-the-spot1974: thank you. The droids are up to things on their own in the background. the kidnapping idea, all them. Harry will find out about Dooku don't worry about that. Sidious is seeing this as Dooku trying to build up an apprentice of his own, sidious would let him to crush the attempt later so he's wasted the effort to train someone rather than attempt to take the place of the master, sort of like sidious did with his own master. The Hermione aspect is a little different. Harry will have future knowledge of two years without altering things, he will be able to guide her to ask the right questions, then nudge her to grow.

God of Vampires: you'll have your answer in I think two chapters time, unless I move things around again.

Blackholelord: that's not a bad image to use with him, although he's got a touch of marauder from the warrior class when he fights. Also please note that harry has never let loose properly in any of his fights, that will come later :) in reference to his children, so close and yet so far. But that's a hint at later ;p Harry has seen a dark lord with stupid plans without backups. He's seen fragments of other grand plans in the galaxy without backups. If there's one thing harry does in those situations is learn from others mistakes. Always have a plan B, if not more. Just in case a hero turns up to mess things up.

BioHazard82: Thank you.

Lycan01: thank you.

Allhailthesith: indeed, more of her to come.

Indecisive Bob: thank you and no, I'm afraid no ninja harry. Although… he did do a bit of stuff like that earlier in the story…

Ahsanrox: thank you, hope you have a good holiday :)

Mangahero18: you wish, some of the clues will be appearing soon, but I've got nearly seven more chapters in almost ready status and still nowhere near him going home ;p I also believe a good line would be "wait till they get a load of me."

Shadowsmage: thank you.

Red Demon161: The CIS is indeed a collection of poor or damaged worlds, they are run either by those who are greedy self-serving and corrupt, or by those few true believers who are trying to make their worlds better and safer. Glad to hear you liked the meal, he's had two years of Dooku teaching him manners amongst other things, but still his emotions can disrupt things. As for harry flirting with Ahsoka, it's a bit awkward here, harry is almost 18 and Ahsoka is 15, maybe a little later.

Carth: remember that this is all Harrys point of view, he was told by Dooku, Some of it is also his own perception of what happened to himself, its all muddled together and festered in the back of his mind..

Wulffe: glad you are enjoying this story.

Theta-McBride: thank you. Both sides of the war are as bad as each other, especially as they are both guided by the Sith.

Meja9201: thank you. It was better yoda speak than I've managed.

Ksecc1: Thank you. I do try to avoid those errors but sometimes I just miss them.

SpannerMonkey: Thank you.

Lynxreader: he's already done a bit of that on Bespin :)

DragonNOOB: Thank you. I hope you keep enjoying it to the end.

Guest: Thank you.

C. : Glad to hear that, I hope you enjoy it to its end.

Neon1311: Glad you are enjoying it. There are a few answers for you in this chapter and the next.


	11. Dark days begin

**Chapter 11 – Dark days begin**

Master Yoda opened his eyes wide as he felt the ripple in the force. A Jedi in great pain, taken and lost in a dark place. The light burning through the mists that clouded the future.

"Master? Is everything okay?" The youngling next to him asked with worry in his voice.

Yoda smiled at the boy, "Good everything is youngling. Go eat. Important business occurred has." He waved his students towards the mess hall as he began walking to the Council tower to discuss the matter. The younglings all did as they were told, chatting to each other, a little confused as to the early end of their class.

He entered the council chamber to find a small group discussing the latest influx of initiates.

"Three more declined? Very well, keep an eye on them anyway, we don't want a repeat of the Wee Dunn incident." Master Mace Windu turned from his conversation with Master Tinn, "Master Yoda is something wrong, I thought you were leading a class today?"

"Teaching I was, summon the council, great matter we must discuss." He took his seat and watched as Windu sent the signal.

Twenty minutes later, he was joined by the others, more than half through the holonet.

"Mission of importance. Necessary to save captive Jedi. Cry for help heard by myself, others too possibly. Great pain, great fear."

Master Agen Kolar nodded, his image focused on Master Yoda. "I too felt the… call, I believe I am nearby. I shall investigate and intervene immediately."

Master Yoda turned to him. "Hurry you must. Time is of essence here."

* * *

Darth Sidious stopped mid-sentence and managed to cover his stutter as a cough. What was that? He made a mental note to have Darth Tyranus investigate further, actually. Maybe he should assign another of his agents instead. Tyranus was getting rather sloppy lately.

Sidious smiled at the senate as he continued with his caring grandfather routine, his mind running over his plans as the sheep around him bleated on with their own self-importance. As the session ended he began to return to his office, his mind still plotting and churning with ideas, soon Skywalker would be more pliable and Tyranus' retirement would swiftly move closer. The Jedi were blindly following the plan.

He walked along the corridors, absently smiling and nodding at his supporters, his guard wary and on alert as they escorted him, he allowed himself to ponder Tyranus' young disciple, this General Jade. He appeared to have remarkable luck, ripples of his actions were spreading far and wide, too wide, too far, too quickly. He had been alerted to rumours within the senate itself about him. Honourable, strong, a believer in protecting innocents and a hero to his people. If he did not know better he would have imagined the man to be a Jedi in disguise.

As Sidious passed his secretary, he frowned at the public support Jade already had, barely a year into the war and a rival to Skywalker had risen. He would not suffer any rivals to ascend, perhaps he could bring the man under his own banner, pull him from Dooku.

Sidious knew there was darkness in Jade's heart, that and the young general's power in the force brought a frown to his face as he settled behind his desk. He would have to offer him something Dooku could not provide, something special, but what? He would need to think on this further. He glanced at his schedule, a meeting with the Eriadu senator Shayla Paige-Tarkin. Ah a relation to Wilhuff Tarkin, there was a man with potential and loyalty.

He turned and watched the world move around him through his windows, letting his mind flow along possibilities until his secretary informed him that the senator had arrived. He smiled, a few nudges here and it would be time for the young Captain to be given the opportunity to truly show what he was capable of.

* * *

Harry frowned as a great headache began, he hissed in pain and looked over at a section of his room's walls. Something in that direction had happened, something far away, something important.

He sighed as he rubbed at his scar, the pain soon faded leaving him tired but agitated, sitting on his bed he began to slowly enter a meditative trance, to refresh himself, but rather than drop into it like normal, he took his time, taking each step individually until he felt at peace in the storm of his emotions. With a slight smile he relaxed and drifted.

He never noticed the blood drying on his finger tips from where he had touched his scar.

* * *

James looked at the unconscious woman floating in the bacta tank. Anhur stood beside him checking her vitals as Maahes replaced James' chest plate after the array had been destroyed.

James tapped his fingers as he had watched father do, strangely it seemed to help his thoughts progress. "Heka, begin evacuating the base, I will inform father personally. Our guest is too weak and injured to be transported, we shall leave her here. Activate a medical droid to ensure her survival."

Anhur turned to his brothers. "Why not eliminate her, she is no longer necessary and could lead the Jedi here."

James looked at him, "it is too late for that, the end of her visions caused an eruption of force energies, it overloaded my array before I realised what had occurred, the Jedi will already be on their way. In addition, I promised her that she would be returned safely."

Anhur nodded and returned to his screens. "Her body will survive, but her mind is an unknown factor. I have no relevant data to compare this against."

Heka spoke out then, "I shall prepare a small force of unmodified rogers to remain, we have some still in storage. We can evacuate and allow her to be rescued. We can use the ion weapons to appear as a hidden weapon research facility. A self-destruct would give them impetus to leave without securing too much data. I can modify a few sections to be found afterwards to implicate the Jedi or Republic. The explosion would annihilate the base, planetary power and systems would be disabled, extensive damage would occur. Evidence of Jedi and clone troopers fleeing the site could be used to turn the world against the republic."

James nodded, "agreed, begin preparations, remove all other forces quietly, we should return to father. Hopefully he will be pleased with the data we have."

* * *

Master Agen Kolar stood looking at the report before him. Kento Marek had left his post, requisitioning a hyperspace capable ship and a unit of clone troopers. Apparently all volunteers as well. The report stated his intent to rescue his partner who had been kidnapped by separatist special ops. He was rather too close to the woman, something that would require their reassignment once this was over. Their attachment would bring about nothing but trouble, he had seen it before.

Scrolling further he found a sighting of the vessel at Taris. Master Kolar stopped for a moment. His mind wandered over his studies as an initiate and padawan. Ah yes, a ruined world, glories long lost. However it would make a suitable base for separatist forces. Actions taken would be blamed on pirates.

He typed a message and ordered it transmitted to Knight Marek, he could not follow him there without upsetting the Council of unaligned systems. Hopefully, with the Force guiding Marek he would not be needed to rescue them.

* * *

Harry was the first of his army to step foot on Mustafar, the air was scorched and full of volcanic fumes, taking a deep breath he reached out with the force and found the location his records had spoken of. To the south lay the ruins of the forgotten Jedi Enclave, the smoking forest surrounded him.

The smoke flumes were beautiful and deadly, like most things of beauty were. He raised an eyebrow at his poetic thoughts before returning to his work.

Opening his comms, "begin disembarking the droids, I will signal when I am ready."

Walking through the landscape, he felt the many eyes watching him, little flares of the force quickly surrounded him but made no move to engage. He let his senses spread, searching for their leader, there, in the ruins, a strong dark side presence.

His smile grew as he began to walk with more purpose as behind him transport vessels landed, a tide of red and gold poured from their holds, an immense number of B1 droids bearing Harry's heraldry. No calls of Roger Roger echoed through the forest, smooth, efficient motion, each searching for potential threats as they swept the landscape, these were not the idiot droids of the confederacy, these were something much more dangerous.

Soon Harry stood before the gateway to the ruins, from the shadows and smoke came the defenders.

Before they could demand anything of him, harry called out to them, his voice carried by a sonorous charm, a little edge of the force demanding their attention. "Who is the leader here?"

From within the crowd strode a tall human male, Black robes that shrieked with the dark side protections imbued in them, shrouded his form. "I am Kursk San'sii, these are my followers, the Blackguard. Why have you come here Sith?"

Harry surveyed those before him with his physical senses and his magic, less than half shone with the force, the rest were mundane followers. He made eye contact with his rival leader and began to silently cast a compulsion spell into his mind. He was so tired, he was not at full strength, but he should still attack the intruder.

Turning to the crowd, Harry began to speak, completely ignoring their leader. "I am known by many names, it appears that I collect them. The one that is important to you today is Darth Abaddon. I have come to conquer this place for my own use. I have read records of your group, strong and skilled with the force. I am disgusted with the state I have found you in. Tainted by the mundane, led by an idiot who could have harnessed his own fear of others to strengthen himself, instead he has let his fear rule him. Pitiful."

With a roar of anger and hatred San'sii charged forward, his lightsaber ablaze, the compulsion at work. Harry cleanly stepped aside, knocking the blade away with a nudge of the force. "See! This child claims dominance over you, so I shall show you my power. I shall defeat him using only the force and my body." At this he threw his lightsabers away, letting his robe fall back, he stood tall in his black and green armour, no weapons at hand as he dodged blow after blow, his opponent little more than a beast by how easy it appeared to the witnesses.

Harry waited, little nudges here and there aiding his fight to embarrass his opponent. He never used anything powerful or showy. He made it look effortless. Finally he grew bored, "my turn" he snarled and with a snatch of his seeker reflexes augmented by the force he grabbed Sar'sii's wrist.

Sar'sii looked into the armours eye slots in shock before Harry whispered "reducto", channelling the magic through his hand, the spell destroyed the man's bones and flesh, his hand falling to the dirt and his wrist turned to a red mist, the stump scorched and blackened.

San'sii's scream of agony echoed, those watching saw the best of their order being torn apart like a child before a gundark and wondered at this Darth Abaddon's power.

Harry spoke again, his spell still working to carry his words to all there, "you are a disgrace, you are weak and you are a failure. But your secrets will be mine." With a touch of a finger on Sar'sii's forehead, Harry sent a surge of the force wrapped around a stupefy and his newest toy fell unconscious. Looking up at those around him he continued, "I am now your master, your Kursk, any challengers?"

One stepped forward, a great brute of a man, he lit his lightsabers and began his challenge, harry didn't even let him finish, a flick of his wrist and his now lit lightsabers impaled his opponent in the back. Another tried to jump him thinking him distracted, harry dodged the blow and struck with force lightning from his left hand. His opponent used their lightsaber to protect himself, however harry quickly drew his wand and cast a bombarda while his opponent was distracted, his torso disappeared in a splash of red gore and fire as he scattered to the ground in several pieces.

A third tried his luck, however as he leapt to strike, harry simply made a swish and flick motion and his latest opponent simply stopped in the air, a slight flick of his wand to the side sent his opponent flying over the edge of the cliff into the lava flows below, his screams echoed for quite a while before fading. Apparently his victim had been lucky enough to land on an outcropping, but the heat alone soon seared the flesh from his bones. One of the muggles moved for cover, his blaster firing. Harry simply shielded himself and struck "Imperio, kill yourself." His victim didn't even struggle as the blaster touched his temple and he pulled the trigger.

Harry watched the corpse fall before he turned around, "seriously? How many more will it take before you realise the situation? You are no challenge to me. Kneel and live, stand and die."

The crowd swiftly fell to their knees, no-one dared to stand before him, "Good. Collect everything and prepare to leave this place, you will be coming with me, we have a lot of work to do."

He began walking into the ruins, and suddenly stopped, his hand raised and his lightsabers leapt into his grasp, "Oh, before I forget, kill the muggles," he shook his head slightly, "the mundanes, I want your order cleansed of my predecessors taint and idiocy. You," he pointed at a teenage boy, "take this filth back to my vessel and guard him. I expect him alive and intact when I return. Well mostly intact."

As he finally entered the ruins, he activated the comms. "Sirius, begin sending me the troops as planned."

Sitting in a large throne in the great hall of the enclave, Harry reached out and began to channel the force and his magic. Carefully gathering it from the site to fuel his own, he gently focused it and as the first droids entered the chamber he began to let it flow through him towards the array carved on their chests. They marched in, a column without apparent end, thousands passed him and he still gave each a portion of his power.

Eventually it was over and the last transport vessel moved to join the fleet waiting in orbit. Harry stood and watched as the remains of the Blackguard all entered and knelt before him.

Harry removed his helmet and smiled at the beginning of his own acolytes. Thank Merlin for the dark side mind-set, to follow the strongest came naturally for them. A strange though floated through his mind, were the death eaters like that as well?

* * *

In the deep black between stars the message was received. Sev'rance Tann keyed in her acknowledgement and opened comms to the fleet. "This is General Tann. Operation Spearhead has been authorised. All stations run through final checks. Move the fleet to condition amber and plot course for Agomar."

She turned to her bodyguards, passing them the datapad, "your father has given us a difficult task, what do you think?"

Horus scanned the orders and passed it to Anubis, they looked at each other, then turned to her in a synchronised motion too smooth for an organic to replicate. She knew that they did to annoy her. Horus spoke first, "father would not assign you the mission if you were incapable of completing it."

Anubis continued, "your service is exemplary other than the time we had to rescue you from the Jedi, your arrogance almost killed you."

Horus carried on, "lead the fleet and armies, leave the Jedi to us."

* * *

Hidden amongst the moons of a great gas giant, Admiral Trench received his own orders from the one who terrified him on a level beyond primal instinct. Annoyed at the fact that he had trouble even thinking His name, he shuddered at the thought of Him before opening the file and beginning to read. Operation Unfinished Business was an odd name to choose for his fleet.

He growled at the first target, a minor world, it would be conquered in days at most, he then stopped at the second and stroked a chelicerae in thought. Maybe this would not be so bad after all, a chance to finish earlier unfinished business. Apparently He had a sense of humour. Finishing reading the message he chittered in surprise. How marvellous, finally he was being put to good use.

"Set course for ZeHeth, we are to secure orbital control immediately."

He returned to his quarters, his current search through the legends and myths of his people talked of a great serpent who's gaze turned its prey to stone. It was just an ancient myth, but the ancient poem described the sensation of the beast hunting its victims, he had the same feeling when near Him.

* * *

Master Adi Gallia looked over the chaos of the battlefield before her. The B2's and droidekas were fighting each other now, the virus a success, the B1's caught in the middle of the fight were being torn apart.

Returning to her transport shuttle she commed the high council. Waiting only a few minutes she smiled at the gathered masters. "Victory on Agomar, the virus worked. We just have to leave the droids to it for a little longer and then move in and clean up. I believe I can leave the clones to sort that out, where do you need me next masters?"

Master Windu leant forward, "Master Agen Kolar is on route for a rescue mission, we are assigning you to his fleet in case the separatists have a larger force hidden in the region. Your target appears to be in the area around Taris, head there at your fastest speed and contact Master Kolar for any updates."

"As you wish Master Windu." She bowed in respect until the connection ended. "Commander, I am leaving you in charge to clean up this mess, once you are done, fall back to Eriadu and await your next orders."

"Yes General, you heard her, time to start cleaning up."

Adi smiled as her shuttle began to rise to return to her command ship, the droids were a confused melee on the ground below and she watched as her clones began to surround the army and begin removing the threat.

The very last thing she expected to see was a lance of energy from above hammer into the droid forces. The shockwave and following blast tearing the landscape apart, it almost knocked her shuttle out of the air. The sound had been like a great roar as the air was ignited and the pressure difference collapsed. She raised a finger to her ear in shock and found blood on her finger tip.

She watched as a great cloud of dust rose from the impact and managed to turn away before the next strike struck at her command post on the ground. This blast was closer and her shuttle began to fall from the sky. She braced for impact, grabbing hold of the support cables to hold her in place. It was the only thing that saved her life as she watched the front of the shuttle tear off as it struck the ground. Then the darkness came.

She came to a few minutes later, a clone was dragging her from the wreckage, gathering herself she looked around and moved to her feet. Shooting stars filled the skies above, in orbit a large explosion told her a capital ship had died, but who's?

Adi turned to the clone, a mere trooper had saved her, awaiting orders general, his voice sure but it held a tone she was unused to hearing, fear. "General can you hear me? Are you in pain?"

"What happened?"

The trooper took his helmet off and began his report. "General, your forces were moving in as ordered to terminate the separatist threat, as we began the location was struck by orbital fire. This was repeated another six times for seven shots in total. The battlefield was destroyed, the separatist forces were annihilated and your forces have taken heavy losses. The captain tried to contact the commander but nothing was getting through, he then tried to contact orbit, but again no response. Whiner was our comms officer, he said the channel was being blocked completely, he tried to contact anyone else but couldn't get through. Hunter, our pointman, said he saw what looked like vapour trails from landing craft coming down nearby. The captain spotted your shuttle and sent me here to check, he's currently trying to coordinate everything."

Adi listened, processed and nodded to the trooper, "good work, lead me back to the captain, we need to secure a command site and find out what happened."

* * *

Harry checked over the ritual circle. The runes were aligned to this planets ley lines, a few crystals he had previously forged through Sith alchemy as batteries and emergency shunts for the energies involved. At the centre sat a gold bowl filled with his own blood, hanging above it was Kraits Ring, bound in strands of his own hair, tied to prongs on the bowls edge at the cardinal points. Where it once sat on his finger rested a painted collection of runes, a sympathetic link to the ritual. He lit the flames at the cardinal points of the ritual circle and threw incense within, letting the smoke rise and spread through the room.

He took a deep breath and entered the circle, he could feel the arrays pulling on his magic and sealed the circle. The flow of energy shifted and the smoke drifted lazily as if the air flowed clockwise around the ritual.

Harry began, the words spilling from his lips, their echoes sent ripples through the fires, the ring glowed and burnt through the hair bindings, falling within the blood. Hissing and bubbling as he continued, pacing around the circle anti-clockwise, against the flow, to unravel the structure. The blood glowed as ripples of gold appeared within the sanguine, a green fire rippled across the surface and the liquid suddenly flared and turned clear with a faint sheen of gold as the light caught it.

As the liquid turned clear, the force energies rushed into the circle, hammering at the seals, with an almost painful hum, the first array collapsed, the energy pouring into the crystals, all bar one burning out, their purpose complete. As the energies settled and returned to normal, Harry stepped forward and raised the bowl to his lips, with a shrug he began to drink, with a grimace this quickly became a race to chug the thick liquid before it came back up. Even Skelegrow wasn't this bad.

Gasping as fire ran throughout his nerves, he grasped at his hand as the runes painted around his finger ignited and seared into the flesh. A black band ran around his right ring finger where the ring had once rested. Harry staggered a moment before his mind settled, the rush of information almost too much for his mind to absorb. He broke the circle carefully, picking up the energized crystal as he went. Sitting at his desk he opened up a section of script of a language now lost to the galaxy.

He smiled as the words came easily to his mind, he spoke them out and could hear the strange words, an almost echo in his mind as he understood them. Lifting the crystal before him he pondered his next actions, putting it back on his desk he picked up his wand and cleaned up his mess. Putting the crystal in a box he dressed for the next stage of his plan.

* * *

Nine hours after the Republics forces had been hammered by orbital fire, Master Adi Gallia had a larger understanding of what had occurred, she was currently overlooking the planets largest space port, separatist forces had secured the facility and the city next to it, patrols were moving through the capital, a message was being announced and repeated but they were too far away to hear.

They watched as a shuttle tried to escape and make it to orbit. The anti-aircraft droids turned and turned the shuttle to shrapnel with a speed and accuracy that was unexpected. Hunter had returned in that moment, her distraction of the shuttles destruction letting him move beside her without her notice.

"General, the droids are in patrols securing food, water and medicine stores. They are preparing something in the plaza, a set of scanners and desks are being unloaded. It's odd, they've left people with their weapons, but most of the civvies seem afraid to even go near them. The patrols are much better than normal and are checking locations they would never had previously. I've also been informed that the commanding officer of the invasion has just arrived on world at the palace, it appears he's going to speak publically tomorrow at just after midday."

"Can you get us in?"

"I think I can get a few in, it will be at most five, no more, it don't think we'll get more than that in without notice."

Adi nodded, "Hunter, gather three more men, lead the way. Captain, fall back and secure a base of operations, we'll fight them for every square centimetre of this world. It won't be long before we get reinforcements."

* * *

Kento Marek knelt in the shadows alongside the volunteers, the entrance to the facility was below in the ruins at the edge of a great toxic lake of pollution. A single droid stood watch at its post, scanners sweeping the area around it.

They were about to advance when his comm line received an urgent message. He raised his hand to halt his men before checking it.

Knight Marek, find lost asset, await further support, we are on route, will update on arrival. Master Agen Kolar.

Kento sneered at the message, Master Kolar was renowned for being a master of lightsaber combat but lacked diplomatic skills, he was a firm believer in the Jedi code, no doubts in his mind. Kento froze for a moment, they would be rescued and then Kolar would split them up, he would send Mallie to one side of the galaxy and him another, they would never see each other again. That was not acceptable, he had to get her out of there now. With a harsh hand gesture he motioned his men to continue.

Carefully and slowly they lowered themselves, until Kento reached out to just above the droids head and ignited his lightsaber. With a slight screeching buzz, the droid dropped, quickly followed by Kento. He checked the scanners, nothing wrong, so he motioned to his men to open the entrance.

He looked down at the droid at his feet, standard appearance B1 combat droid, damaged by the weather and environment but no combat damage. He nodded as the clones opened the entrance just enough to slip in and moved to follow them, a flicker of anger came to him and he reached towards the droid, closing his hand and made a hard fist, the droid compressed in on itself as if crushed, Kento flicked his hand towards the lake and opened his hand, the droid flew and splashed into the oily liquid, hissing as it slowly sank from sight.

The clones, quietly and efficiently advanced, used melee only they destroyed any droids they came across in their advance, silent and smooth. They soon came to a large storage silo and Kento blinked in shock at what he saw. They must have been building a second malevolence. He motioned to his men. "I will see to Mallie, you deal with those." His finger pointing at the immense ion cannons.

An echoed call came across the base speakers. "Prepare the weapons for transfer, transport vessels on route, estimated two hours."

Kento looked at his men. "Change of plans, set mines to destroy them and get out of here, I'll meet you back at the ship." At their nod, the groups separated.

* * *

The only upgraded roger that remained in the facility watched as the infiltrators moved as expected, the discovery of the weapons was the signal to give them a time limit. Their comm channel had already been detected and breached. It triggered its next duty, the message calling for immediate support to the incoming Jedi forces.

It began to selectively record the clones, it prepared the black box as instructed, the programs in the system following their own orders to alter the data which would be recovered.

It sent the first data update, the General would be pleased by the information being gathered here.

* * *

Adi stood in the midday sun, her identity hidden by her cloak. The crowd around her muttering fearfully at what was about to happen. Exactly one standard hour after midday, with the crowd getting a little antsy, the leader of the invasion appeared.

His voice carried across the plaza, it seemed to be spoken from just in front of everyone, clear and crisp. She frowned at this, she knew of no technology that could do this without obvious signs of use. Holo-displays showed him on the balcony so that all could see him. A message appeared on her comms telling her that similar displays had been placed in all communities across the planet.

"People of Agomar. Rejoice, for you are now safe. Safe from the lies and deceits spread by the republic and their warhounds the Jedi." He let them murmur and shout angry denials at him for a minute before raising a hand for silence.

"Please, allow me to explain. We have the evidence to back up our claims and it will be provided freely to all who wish to see it tomorrow at dawn. Free access will be given at all libraries and community centres across your world."

"Due to the dragging nature of the conflict on your world, I was sent to bring about an end to the fighting. I was to come and negotiate a peaceful end of hostilities on your world. The battles were spreading and nearing population centres, this was deemed unacceptable to myself and members of the Confederate Senate. We wished to spill no innocent blood, thus I was sent."

"Upon arrival I transmitted diplomatic codes to request a single vessel to approach and begin negotiations. This was acknowledged, I flew my personal vessel towards this world and came under fire from Republic forces. A ship under diplomatic banners to negotiate peace was shot at without provocation." At the angry shouts from the crowd he once more raised his hands for quiet, a calm appearance on his face, with flickers of pain at the memory.

"I managed to escape and return to my fleet. If the republic would not act under their own laws, it was felt that they would subjugate this world and prevent its freedoms. Thus my fleet entered the system."

"On route to orbit we heard disturbing news. The republic had released a nanovirus into the Confederate battle droids. We quickly checked their systems and discovered that this virus reprogrammed the friend or foe programs within the droids, this was a horrifying act of attempted genocide upon your people. The FOF holds within it a line of code, it designates that non-combatants are to be assigned a friend ranking. You, the innocents of this conflict had been put in grave danger, and the republic did not care, they were gleeful and happy at the danger they had unleashed. Laughing and joking."

"Discovering this I ordered the forces infected by the virus to be destroyed immediately before they spread into your homes. I must beg your forgiveness for bombarding a region of your world but I had little time to save as many lives as I could. As this was happening, the republic forces in orbit had begun to either manoeuvre to bombard the planet or escape. We destroyed their fleet to prevent such actions from occurring."

"Now, in order to bring about a fair and open government, my forces have taken control of your world," angry cries echoed around the plaza, "please, let me explain, we are organising elections to be held at the end of the week, all registered citizens are entitled to vote and anybody may put their name forward as a potential for the new government. To become a registered citizen, we have provided a few scanners and archive droids to assist in the creation of a registry of all sentient individuals of Agomar. Every town has been assigned a team, they will be on continuous service until the registry is complete. You will have your details taken, a scan of yourself made and this information will be aligned to records already held. Once this has been completed, you will be assigned a ration record. All registered citizens are entitled to food, water, medicine at the governments cost, but these are resources with a limit and will be fairly distributed, no more or less for each individual citizen, from the richest to the poorest."

"As personal reparation from myself to you, I have assigned a thousand worker droids to construct living space so that every registered citizen has a home. This will take time, please be patient, until then a tented community will be provided for anyone who would fit the criteria. Families with young children and the elderly will be seen as a priority."

"For the registry, honesty is required. Any errors or issues found will be investigated in full, accidental errors will be corrected, active attempts to con the system will be punished severely. I am also offering a thousand droids to act as an interim police force until your people are able to resolve the shortage of manpower. Volunteers will be well received. Criminal actions will be investigated and the perpetuators will be punished to the full letter and spirit of your laws."

"Finally, I promise you that once your government has been chosen, you as a people may decide whether you wish to return to the republic or join the confederacy. Should you wish it, we will leave, the housing project and police force will remain until they are no longer needed at which point, they too shall leave."

"I have come to you to ask you to stand beside the other systems of the confederacy, not to kneel as a subjugated people."

"I thank you for your time and patience. Please form orderly queues and calmly await your turn. Light refreshments will shortly be distributed whilst you wait your turns."

"Oh, one last thing. Jedi, I know you are listening to me right now, I know you are watching this." His eyes now cold swept the plaza, searching for any sign of his quarry, "I offer you an amnesty for the next three days. Any clone trooper or Jedi that surrenders peacefully within that time will be sent back to the republic, intact and unharmed. Please do not force us to hunt you down, should that be required, then we can afford to show you no mercy. You cannot escape us, you have no other options that do not inflict suffering on these innocent people. It is now your move."

The General then bowed and walked back into the palace.

Adi waited as the crowd calmed from being so agitated. Several lines had already formed, the citizens were being processed and added to the records. A droid came nearby carrying a large container of water and disposable cups, distributing the drink to all around it. A second followed with bowls and a soup. Taking a sample of each she left the crowd and snuck away.

* * *

Kento snuck down darkened halls until he found Mallie, she was hooked up in a bacta tank, a medical droid was preparing her to decant.

Beside the medical droid stood a B1 droid. "She will live?" It whined.

The medical droid calmly turned and informed the B1. "Indeed. Bone damage repaired, nerve damage repaired, muscle damage repaired, dermal damage repaired and delicate organ damage has been repaired as well. Physically she is fit to be moved to the transport. Mentally is the interrogation department's work to complete. She will be ready to be brought to the shuttle in approximately three minutes."

The B1 just moved to stand beside a repulsorlift bed with attached medical instruments.

Kento calmly watched as they moved their prisoner and silently followed them to the shuttle. He sent a discrete comm to his men, "have found alternate exit, will rendezvous in orbit, continue with your mission."

The droids took Mallie on board a shuttle and began prepping launch procedures, the medical droid secured his patient and checked her vitals. He turned at the snap hiss noise of a lightsaber and fell in two parts. The B1 entered from the cockpit to see what was happening, Kento pulled it to him and impaled it on his blade, quick, quiet and no alarms raised.

Sealing the hatch he moved to the cockpit and continued to prep the launch. The comms burst with noise. "All droids, intruders detected in main storage, seal the area and terminate intruders. Facility is on lockdown until further notice." Then another comm line opened up. "Shuttle three, your clearance has been revoked, secure the prisoner and await further orders." Thankfully the comm line cut before he had to respond.

In the command room, the upgraded roger stood before the holo emitter. "Yes sir, exterior comms was cut upon entry, we have acquired their escape vessel, it was moved to a safe location to provide evidence when the facility is destroyed. A call for aid was sent to the republic, their ships are on route as we speak. The clones are in the designated area, we are recording them defending their position against confederate forces, the record will be transmitted to the black box just before the self-destruct triggers."

James leant forward in the image, "excellent, proceed as planned, give the Jedi a nudge to escape, let him do the rest for us."

As the comms cut, the droid turned to the shuttles comm line. "Shuttle three, intruders may have infiltrated your vessel, open your hatch and prepare for a security team, we will sweep it so you can leave to maintain the schedule. Be aware, Jedi forces are on route to terminate the prisoner. ETA for system entry sixteen minutes."

Kento stared at the comms for a moment in shock, before scrambling to get the ship ready to go as fast as possible. They were coming to kill Mallie? They wouldn't, they were coming to rescue her, unless they thought she had fallen or told secrets to the separatists. He commed his men once again. "Sergeant, I am leaving now, get your men out of there, a fleet is on route, update them and let them deal with the site."

All he got in response was a broken line filled with blaster fire and static. Kento snarled in frustration as he was torn between his men and Mallie.

A knocking at the hatch demanded his attention. He quickly through his engines into active and burned everything on the landing pad as he lifted, he quickly headed up to the launch bay entrance and used the ships guns to blow him an exit. Flying through the wreckage he powered away, straight up, his transponder screaming republic identity codes as he ran, the ship had its hyperspace jump already programmed and waiting so he triggered the autopilot and watched as the republic fleet arrived, fighters and bombers filling the skies, securing their position.

The shuttle jumped away just before a large explosion rippled across the surface, a section of the ruins turned to purple energy and scattered shrapnel into orbit. The purple aura rippled across the planet's atmosphere like an aurora borealis, power and lighting failed. Backup generators failed alongside them. Only hardened systems remained active. For a few moments the world was silent, then the screams of terror began as did the sound of the native wildlife passing through areas long guarded against them, full of easy prey.

In hyperspace Kento began planning the next jump. He needed a doctor to look over Mallie, there was a Wookie who owed him on Kashyyyk, maybe there they could hide and be safe. If they stayed quiet and kept hidden, the Jedi might think they were dead. They would be free of fighting in this horrible war and could be together.

* * *

Harry looked at the image before him, the Jedi and clone troopers had entered a hospital. Odd, maybe they required medical supplies, whatever their reasons, this could be used.

"Montu," a shadow entered the light, "this is their current location, get there quickly, kill as many as you can, collateral damage is acceptable. Sirius acquire a republic bomb, set it up to demolish the hospital then do so. Alter the hospital security tapes to imply the Jedi and her men did it as a terrorist action. Then assist Montu in his hunt. I will be seen surveying the building site."

Both droids nodded, "Yes father", then quickly left the room.

"Hedwig, find me suitable candidates for the government, we will need to ensure their victory quietly."

Hedwig nodded, "As you wish father", he moved to a data point and accessed the secure network.

Harry chuckled as he exited the palace, smiling and waving to the press. He got in the landspeeder and headed for the building site, the droids already at work.

* * *

 **An:**

 **Reviews:**

Plums: I was unsure how many to do with her, it never felt just right when I cut it down or increased it, so I left it as it was. As for the damage inflicted and her capacity to talk, she was more of a conduit for the visions, her body healing as it was damaged, and you don't need a tongue to scream.

Thorndsword: sorry to hear that. As I noted above I had trouble with those sections.

Guest: thank you.

Theta-McBride: thank you.

Neon1311: I'm seeing that the length appeared to be too much on the visions, something to keep in mind for the future. Anakin's path hasn't diverged much from canon and I have nothing in the works that would change that at this time.

Ksecc1: thank you. I'll try to improve on that issue.

Stallion6 of Deviantart: I'm on the first draft of chapter 18 at the moment and still thick in the clone wars. So a while to go yet I'm afraid.

Lord of Carrion: Palpy as you named him is not impressed, Harry took away some of his toys with that move if the neutrals sign the treaty, the embassy gives the CIS more legitimacy, so they win either way. Your question about Admiral Trench was rather amusing as you may have noticed he appeared here, however he's going to be like Sev'rance tann, a background character. Harry might be tempted to take the position just to get things actually done, or he may use someone in the role, cuts down on the paperwork that way.

C. : thank you, as I've said above, I wasn't too sure about the chapter.

Lycan01: thank you.

BioHazard82: Thank you.

Starboy454: thank you, unfortunately he will be alone on his return.

Beloved Daughter: Thank you, my wife took me out for an awesome meal. Glad to hear you are enjoying it.

Joe Lawyer: You don't have to like something to be good at it. It just felt weird that harry never used the political clout he had in canon. Glad to hear you are enjoying it all.

Ser Vince: Thank you.

Red Demon161: Dooku is the closest to an actual father figure Harry has, so I can see your reasoning working quite nicely. And yes, the betrayal or more accurately the realisation of betrayal when it comes will be painful for him. Ahsoka is one of my viewpoint characters in the story as you may have noticed, it's a bit strange to not have Kenobi or skywalker in such a role, but it is more relevant to this story. Also Harry's flirting skills are pretty useless, he'll get better but it will take time, if he does any, its by accident. :)

AresLaw: Thank you, I hope you enjoy it to its end.

Indecisive Bob: thank you. How do you kill Voldemort, destroy his horcruxes, where's harry again?

Tamagat: Thank you.

Emperor Vanquest: Thank you. I hadn't really developed them much really, but I'll give it a go. James is a humanoid design protocol droid, a sleeker and better armoured version of C3P0, his armour is black with green vines as a motif, his runic array is hidden within the designs on his chest. The armour doesn't look like much but leaves fewer gaps than C3P0's. His internals are much more efficient and hide the parts which give him the full motion capacity as if he were a human, he acts clunky and solid as a cover, but he can flex and move much quicker than others would imagine. Within his chest are hidden two lightsabers. Hedwig and the others have Grievous' legs with the same range of motion as he does, they have a human shaped torso with smooth and curved armour plates. Their heads are skull shaped and smooth, they have four "eyes" which are the same green as harry's, positioned about where our cheek bones and brows are in regards to human eye placements. They have blades hidden within their arms which extend through the hands, two lightsabers are hidden within the chest section. Their runic array is also on their chest. They have a shoulder mounted blaster rifle which can fold backwards to rest by their spine. They are seven foot tall but can stretch further than expected due to the legs. "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" to us, not to Harry. Midichlorians don't naturally change over time, so he won't get more raw power available to him, but he will learn to use it more effectively. Yoda has less Midichlorians than Anakin in episode one, but the difference in skill and experience is too great for Anakin to win as a child, as an adult he has a better chance than before. On the time sand issue, can't answer due to spoilers, other than its part of what's holding him there. If he knew how to make the philosophers stone then yes, he could make one, but he'd need the Flamel's to learn those secrets.

Ranmaleopard: Thank you.


	12. Bad Moon Rising

**Chapter 12 – Bad Moon Rising**

Adi Gallia looked at the report on the screen, they had snuck into a hospital to see if something had been laced into the water and food from the plaza. Nothing stood out, it was perfectly normal.

She sat back and glanced to Hunter who stood by the door.

He glanced back at her, "two more minutes then we have to go."

She nodded, the rest of the team was securing their escape route. Carefully she collected the items she had brought but a noise outside stopped her, her gut tightened, something bad was about to happen. Moving quickly to the window, she carefully moved the blinds to see outside. There in the middle of the grassy park in the hospital grounds stood a strange droid. It was tall and had swirls of a dark gold decorating its form, it was perfectly still, watching the hospital, then it quickly snapped its head to look directly at her. For a moment she felt a chilling fear settle on her spine, before her control returned. As she gathered herself she blinked and it was gone. She staggered back from the window. Had it been a vision or illusion? No, her gut said it was real and it was coming for her.

She turned to Hunter and motioned to leave quickly. They began jogging towards the roof; their landspeeder should be waiting for them there.

As they turned a corner they entered one of the larger corridors and a doctor entered from the other end. He froze in surprise, "hey, you shouldn't be here, this is a secure area." He froze at the snap hiss of a lightsaber lighting behind him. He slowly turned to look up into four green sensors framed with golden swirls looking at him. He felt like a slab of meat before a butcher. Then he didn't feel anything after that as the two blades ripped through him from hip to shoulder and decapitated him at the same time.

Adi Gallia froze at the sight of a droid with lightsabers before watching it cut the doctor down, it looked at her and began walking away, fading from sight.

"General, we need to get out of here now!" Hunter shouted next to her, snapping her attention to him, he was watching the far end of the corridor with his rifle raised and ready. She nodded before seeing the markings on the wall behind him. Her eyes widened in horror at what she read, quickly following the colour band and realised that the droid was following it.

With a whispered "no", she began running after it.

Hunter looked confused and glanced at the wall before snarling "Fuck!" and sprinting after her.

The two words were too horrible to consider in regards to that droid.

Maternity Ward.

* * *

Harry sat in the cell, his prisoner straining against his chains, runes draining him of the force. He grabbed the man's chin and carved a sigil of opening on his victims forehead, forcing eye contact, harry placed his wand against the bleeding sigil and slammed an overpowered Imperio into his mind. As San'Sii's eyes glazed and he stared blankly at Harry, his struggles faded as well. Harry smiled and wove a spell around the glowing crystal that floated on the desk, the Imperio now feeding off the energy within the crystal should San'Sii try and fight it. A ward on it protected it from minor harm and would alert him if someone tried to destroy it or San'Sii managed to gather enough will to break free.

Harry took his seat and set out a datapad with a touch screen and set a quill hovering over its surface to begin to scribe.

He turned to his prisoner, "this is a dictation quill, I replicated this last year, very useful. Now, you are going to speak of everything you know about the force, you will not repeat yourself, nor will you lie about anything. Once you are done, you will begin reciting any blackmail and secrets you know of, following this I require the knowledge of how to make a holocron. You will eat and drink enough to keep alive. You will make no attempt to escape. Do you understand?"

"Yes master, I understand your commands."

"Good, then you may begin", with a tap of his wand the quill jumped to life and began writing the words spoken by San'Sii the Kursk of the Blackguard. Harry watched for a moment and then left the cell.

* * *

The Senator for Taris was beyond angry as he demanded answers from the senate, "I don't care about excuses or denials, I want answers to my peoples questions! Why was there a republic weapon development facility on Taris? Why are you trying to replicating the Separatists Super Weapons? How dare you hide something like that on Taris. At no point has our government been contacted to even consider allowing such a facility to be constructed never mind used. Then there is the mater of the strike cruiser entering Taris space just before the incident. Why was there a Jedi strike team involved? What have the Jedi to do with this facility? When we managed to contact the fleet we were informed that it was an internal Jedi matter and out of my peoples jurisdiction. They then secured the region and are refusing to allow anyone to enter without the senate's authority. What are you all doing behind closed doors?" he pointed out to the other senators, "how many of you have facilities like this one on your worlds and aren't being told about it?" the mutters grew angrier but more focused on their neighbours than at the Taris senator. "Luckily we managed to reach the site and investigate before the Jedi managed to kick us off a region of our own world. We managed to acquire a damaged black box from the ruins, it still held data and recordings in its systems. The evidence we have gathered shows recordings of clone troopers fighting off Separatist droids and apparently being overrun. If I do not have suitable answers soon I will be releasing the gathered evidence for public viewing." At this he motioned to the silent individual beside him and sat.

The tall man stood brushing wrinkles from his clothes and passed his vision over the entire chamber before speaking. "I am the temporary Representative for Mandalore, Duchess Satine Kryze has sent me with a message for the Republic Senate. She demands that there is an immediate withdrawal of all republic forces from member worlds of the Council of Neutral Systems. We will guard our own worlds and borders. We have sent a message to the Confederate of Independent Systems requesting they honour our sovereignty as they have previously offered to us. No more ladies and gentlemen. You will use us no more in your war. I was also sent to inform this senate that the Confederate of Independent Systems has been given leave to host an embassy on Mandalore. Thank you."

Darth Sidious watched all this from his seat at the centre of the argument and wondered who had set up the facility. The ion weapons should not have been there, it appeared that his apprentice had some more answers to give as well, hopefully more enlightening ones than his last set.

The Neutral Council's declarations had also brought about more issues. A third faction to the war, acknowledging the CIS as equals and not rebels. This would delay matters as he had to alter his plans. He had not accounted for such a series of events, but maybe this was the force guiding him. the loss of resources would be disruptive, however they would be easy to bring into the fold once the CIS collapsed at the end of the war.

He half listened as the senate moved to less vibrant matters, if Dooku had made the facility as a trap or for real, he had not informed his master of the matter. This could have been much better used than it had been. He wondered for a moment if maybe Dooku was simply too much trouble to maintain, but realised the alternatives would ruin everything if not delay his plan by nearly a decade. His agents had given him enough information to predict the events if Dooku was removed now. Jade would hunt and put down Grievous and then he would be a strong and skilled leader who could win the war. Ventress would be a suitable mix to continue the plan, but her loyalty to Dooku would make things too awkward to be worth the effort.

Maybe an accident involving Jade would remind Dooku of who is really in charge. Yes, that might be just what was needed. If he died, then no great loss, if he lived, then maybe he required Sidious' personal attention, one way or the other.

* * *

Dooku read the report, he took a deep breath and centred himself, he glanced at the droid in the shadows, this had the marks of Harry all over it. The boy sometimes was as subtle as a krayt dragon on Coruscant. Or that Zillo beast that had broken free not that long ago.

His master will not be pleased. This would be discussed in their next communication, he knew it.

Maybe he could spin this, the lack of combat in the Neutral systems would focus everything into more dangerous battlegrounds. The scale of damage to the Jedi's numbers would grow immensely. It could also guide neutral systems into joining the war against the republic, yes that may please his master. It was an attack on the Jedi and the republics morale and reputation.

He nodded to himself, pleased with the sudden idea, now to plan around the idea, how to use it? First he needed to rein Harry in before something important for the greater plan was distorted or destroyed beyond repair.

A beep from his desk caught his attention, ah, the initial reports for the Southern Campaign. Things should be building up to begin, he imagined the fleets would still be gathering on the northern edge of the conflict, the push towards the galactic core would be enough to…

By the force, what was he thinking, what had he done. Dooku quickly checked his records, nothing. There was nothing to authorise this or even hint this was what was planned, and how in the name of Darth Bane had he wrangled Admiral Trench to work for him, he was supposed to still be recovering from his injuries. He was meant to lead the defence of Ringo Vinda when the republic began their assault on Confederate space.

He rubbed his face with both hands, and froze as a secure beacon received a message, he looked and saw a timer for nineteen minutes until his master would contact him.

Could this day get any worse?

* * *

Adi Gallia burst into the maternity ward to screams of terror, seeing a Jedi with a lit lightsaber caused chaos as mothers moved to protect their children, nurses to scream for security.

Hunter slid to a halt behind her, his eyes scanning the corridor behind them, the flash of fear caught Adi's attention and she turned, just in time to see the armour of the droid heading back the way she had come, screams began and ended along that way.

She ran after it, letting the force strengthen her muscles and aid her speed, turning the corner she found a massacre. The security team heading in her direction had been slaughtered, limbs and bodies torn and scattered, the droid stood at the entrance to some stairs and saluted with one of its blades before disappearing again.

She ran and entered the stairwell, above her two of the clones pointed their rifles at her, quickly aiming away, "what the hell was that general? I've never seen anything like it before."

Hunter kept his rifle aimed at the corridor and she looked down to the lower levels. Turning to her clones, "something very dangerous and its playing with us."

From below she caught a glimpse of the droid as it hefted something up at her, she dodged instinctively, her lightsaber slicing away at it. A gasp above her tore her attention away from the droid as a body fell past her. One of the clones with a section of hand rail impaling him fell past, with a sickening thud he hit the floor below. She looked down and watched in horror as the droid carefully dipped its finger into the blood and painted a line on its face plate, just below its sensors. Then it turned and disappeared into the dark.

She stopped the clones following it in anger, "its playing with us. Baiting us. It wants us to follow it. We are leaving, try and draw it away from the civilians."

The clones nodded and started up the stairway to reach the roof. Taking care to check each corner and doorway before moving on.

Finally they reached the roof access and the lead clone grasped the handle to open the door, suddenly he began shuddering as electricity arced over him. His screams quickly stopped as Adi moved him away from the door with the force. She could still feel his presence in the force so relaxed a touch and used the force to open the door. She took two steps before stopping. Hunter carrying his brother behind her tried to look past her to find out the problem.

There before them, the guards she had left had been dismembered, their limbs used to send a message.

Run.

The Speeder had been sliced in various important places by a lightsaber, the cuts long cooled.

They backed away and turned, the still smoking clone pushed his brother to one side and screamed as a lightsaber blade punched into his stomach. He grabbed the arm of the droid, preventing it from moving away easily. "Go", he gurgled.

Adi pushed at the droid with the force to give her more space. Instead the air rippled around it an inch or so above its armour. A series of strange glyphs began glowing across its surface and it turned its head towards her and cocked it to one side as if pondering her actions, it twisted its arm causing the clone to scream and gurgle.

Adi ran past and dragged Hunter with her. Lifting him into her arms she jumped into the stairwell and fell down the central gap, using the force to land safely, she dropped hunter to the side and began moving towards the ground exit.

As she entered the entranceway she saw something that made her feel sick. Bodies torn apart as if a hurricane had come through here, a hurricane with lightsabers. She ran and smashed out of the doors, Hunter at her heels. He began firing behind them and she turned to see the droid standing just in the entrance, ripples like a shield around it as the blaster hits struck at it. It raised a hand and waved at her.

The world erupted in fire and glass shrapnel, she flew backwards slamming into a landspeeder in her path. She blinked and wondered what had happened. Then fear rushed back as she saw the droid unhurt within the fire, it just faded away and disappeared, seconds later the hospital began to collapse and fall in on itself.

She heard the speeder start its engines and Hunter scream, "get in here!"

* * *

Count Dooku had arrived to attend this session in the flesh.

The senators in the hall all angrily demanding his attention, with a raised hand and a nudge with the force he brought order to the senate. "I too am appalled at the Republics arrogance and actions. Following General Jade's proposal to aid the neutral systems, I believe we should offer a hand of friendship to those betrayed. I propose that the Ambassador to Mandalore offer our aid and a small fleet to guard the Taris system from threats until they restore themselves. I hope it will not be needed, however, we should make the offer at least, with the southern offensive begun under Jade's command, we have ships in the northern region able to perform the required actions. I ask for a vote on the matter immediately, we do not have time to wait before the republic acts once more."

* * *

Harry stood on the podium before the reporters, "I too am horrified by the actions of this terrorist. To strike at a hospital is beneath contempt. We have no confirmed total for the dead at the scene of her crime, we are still digging through the wreckage looking for survivors. We were just lucky that the security force distracted her before she could begin murdering innocent mothers with their newborns. I and the people of Agomar thank the quick thinking and bravery of the nurses present, they managed to evacuate the entire wing in time to prevent further loss of life when the bomb went off. We've managed to find a few security recordings. They will not be made available to the public, they are monstrous in her actions. A summary of the events will be added to the evidence against the republic and Jedi. Your military and law enforcement are allowed to witness what we have from the recordings to better understand the depths to which this Jedi will go."

"As a priority, I have assigned my personal guard to hunt this monster down. When she is brought to ground, I will personally lead the assault team to capture her, then she will face good Agomar justice for her crimes against you. "

"We have provided images of her to be distributed globally, any sign of her should be forwarded to local law enforcement. Do not interact with her, do not fight her or try to stop her. Let the professionals do their jobs. I am hereby rescinding the amnesty for the Jedi terrorist Adi Gallia, any other Jedi who hand themselves in will be treated fairly and not stained with the monsters dishonour. Any clone troopers will be treated exactly as offered previously."

* * *

Adi and Hunter stood with the remaining four members of his squad. The watched the news report and the images. She stared into the air for a moment before gathering herself.

Hunter looked at his brothers. "I've written down what I saw of the droid, as ranking officer of this squad now, I am ordering you to take the amnesty offer. You will read the information and memorise it, on your return you are to make a full report to command, they need to know about this new droid. If they make an army of them, then we've lost."

They nodded and each took a copy of the file and began to read it, Hunter sat next to Adi. "We need to move, the locals will report us soon, we have to find somewhere to hide and prepare for the hunters that are coming for you."

She nodded and gave him a small smile, "indeed, we need to gain access to off world communications, try and contact the Jedi council, warn them."

Hunter nodded, "I know where to go, I heard a few names of local criminals, we can use their communication channels to send the message."

* * *

Obi-wan sat in the council chamber with his peers, "no news from Master Gallia?"

Mace Windu turned from watching the city around the temple, "no. she has not contacted anyone and she is late, it's been a few days now since she left Agomar."

"Perhaps she was delayed, we could send someone to check on Agomar, make sure everything is running smoothly."

Yoda spoke up, "if something wrong there is, informed we would be. Wait a day we can, no more. Now Taris discuss we must."

Obi-wan sat up straighter, "Indeed, evidence suggests a large storage facility housing at least one of the ion cannons from a vessel like the malevolence. The recordings were damaged and incomplete, a large chunk of the memory was damaged by the explosion. It did indeed show clone troopers defending the facility from separatist droids. We have been informed by our agents that the council of neutral systems believes the republic to have secretly built the base and used it. As to why a Jedi was held prisoner there, I doubt we'll ever find out, there are no records of her presence in the evidence gathered so far. There's no sign of knights Kento or Mallie at all, we found their ship nearby without crew and untouched. Records show they were on route, but never returned to their ship. The public is not pleased with us over this either, we have been tarnished with the same brush as the republic, Master Kolar's actions have not helped in the matter either."

Yoda sighed and looked at Windu, "not good this is."

Obi-wan concurred "not good at all."

* * *

Hunter sat amongst the crowd, his attempt at a beard itched but it was enough with his longer than authorised hair loose, he blended a little better amongst the civvies. He stood within the crowd watching as the surrendering clone troopers were being marched onto a transport shuttle.

As it began to lift off he started to relax, they were away, his squad was safe, they would pass on the intel. He sighed in relief and drifted away with the flow of the crowd.

Soon he reached the safe house. But walked past it, his gut screaming at him to get away. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw golden swirls in a dark alleyway.

As soon as he made it to a crossroads he disappeared into a cantina, smoothly entering the back hallways, he exited and moved down the alley. Dropping his cloak he stripped away anything which could be used to find him, then he moved to the alleyway entrance, he waited for a moment before reaching out and grabbing a passing native. Knocking him out, he took the man's money and cloak, drifting back into the crowd and heading for the rural regions. He triggered his alarm, tied to the general's commlink. He needed to get to the tertiary site, he would wait there for the general.

* * *

Harry sat in an armchair waiting for the Jedi, Sirius was waiting at the fight area, final touches being laid. Montu had just reported that the scout had spotted him and run. Hedwig was finalising the evidence for anyone investigating.

He heard the key in the lock and reinforced the notice-me-not around him.

The Jedi master entered the room and went to a table, dumping the supplies she had acquired. She froze the moment her commlink beeped, a red light warning her of the danger. Harry let the charm drop and moved to attack.

Cursing, she span, her hand reaching for her lightsaber, she made it halfway before the bolt of red struck her in the side, she staggered and fell to the ground, she managed to stop her fall but another bolt struck her and she collapsed.

Harry moved next to her and began the next stage, a slight compulsion across her mind, reinforced with an "Imperio". It would last long enough for the show. "Go to the Aluvar shopping centre and allow yourself to be spotted, then wait for my arrival, when you see me in person attack me and rant about how I am impure and need to be cleansed", he threw in a touch of Bella into her mind before sending Montu to join Sirius and apparated away to the palace.

He smiled as he moved to his chair and grinned in pleasure of manipulating a Jedi Master, letting it run through his mind once more to make sure he wasn't missing anything, then froze. Bella, he had never met Bellatrix Lestrange before that night when everything changed. He had seen her fight and rant for a few moments, why then did he remember duelling her one on one. Why did he remember her as Bella and not Bellatrix, how did he remember the feel of her skin beneath his fingers? Damn his head was hurting. He cleared his thoughts and let the force rush through him, the cities fear of the Jedi terrorist like a fine wine, washing away the pain, cleansing him. What was he thinking about again? It must have been nothing important.

* * *

Adi Gallia, Jedi Master, general and now terrorist, entered the shopping centre by a side entrance, her robe hiding her identity, turning to ensure she had not been spotted she found herself face to face with a security guard. Without thinking of her actions she lit her lightsaber and cut him down. "Filthy muggle" she snarled before staggering slightly and rubbing her temples in pain. "What had that been? No, it's not important, I need to be somewhere, it's important that I'm not late, I've got work to do."

She strode away humming to herself. A few minutes later a second security guard found his colleague, seeing the wound, he called it in directly to the local police, they informed him to update his manager and quietly evacuate the building as quickly and quietly as he could. Help was on its way.

Adi was pacing wondering why she was still here. She had found a series of bombs set up around the main supports of the building, but every time she tried to disarm them, she turned around and began pacing again. Something was very wrong, her mind was cloudy and muddled, she just needed to focus, just focus and she could think again.

A clink behind her drew her attention and she found herself facing a man in black armour. He nodded at her and she snarled in response, she was so angry, she would tear this filth apart. Show him what a pureblood could do. She lit her lightsaber and began her assault.

Harry grinned at finally fighting a Jedi master without limits or restraints. She rained heavy blows down on him, no style or control, just raw power. He quickly moved the fight above ground and into the open, the witnesses were useless if they didn't see anything. He performed admirably, just enough skill to hold her brutal attack back, make it look good enough to ensure caution from the Jedi. He saw a camera team setting up and with a flick set a glamour over the Jedi's eyes, now they shone with power, the darkside markings clear for all to see.

He threw a few items at her, enough to slow her down and let others see her. Soon, just a little longer. She was tiring, the spells falling away, damn Jedi mental resilience, then again it would be useful for what he had planned. She blinked in surprise at the fight a few swings later, technique returning to her attacks.

From within the entrance of the centre a droid stepped forward, golden swirls shining in the light. "The bomb has been disarmed, you can stop her now."

Her eyes widened in fear at the sight of the droid, she screamed "No!" at the droid and turned to attack it.

Moving swiftly Harry jumped between them, that would be enough for the cameras now. Knowing no-one would be able to read his lips because of his helmet, he added the essence of a compulsion charm to his words, "kill yourself when I call for your surrender."

She snarled at him and swung wildly, he managed to knock the blade from her hand and removing his helmet he faced her, eye to eye, she deserved that at least. "Adi Gallia, surrender and answer for your crimes."

She growled at him, "never!", with a flick of her wrists and a surge in the force, she summoned the shattered glass from the front of the shopping centre, as Harry moved to avoid being torn apart by flying glass, she reached out and summoned her lightsaber to her hand, she turned with it lit and staggered as a shard of glass impaled her in the stomach, one side glowing with the heat from Harry's lightsaber, cooking the flesh there slightly.

Harry stood tall over Adi Gallia, small cuts over his face from slivers of glass that had caught him. He knelt next to her as blood pooled out from her, she blinked in confusion at him. "Whuh, what happened?" she gasped.

He placed his hands over the wound trying to staunch it, crying out "medic!" but she looked at him in horror as he lifted them slightly to let the blood flow. He made eye contact and quietly whispered, "you lost and were used, this world is ours as will be the many more to come. Thank you for your sacrifice, I couldn't do this without you."

As the life left her eyes and her presence in the force faded to nothing, he allowed his fatigue to show and sat back, the medic arriving and gasping at the sight of the damage the shard had done to her torso.

* * *

General Grievous stood flexing his fingers slowly and carefully, the woman agitated him like no other bar the boy.

Ventress growled at him, "you want to kill our Masters favourite and you came to me for aid?"

"I have fought the boy in combat, he has grown since then and has a grudge against me."

"Not surprising" she snorted, "you did shoot him in the back, I'd take that personally as well."

"Quiet witch. I also remember him embarrassing you before our master as well, more than once."

"So you are proposing what? An alliance between us until he's dead?"

"Indeed," grievous growled as he clenched his fist before her. "I want his skull as a trophy. I have been informed that he is leading the southern advance, Sev'rance and Trench were assigned to his fleet, but he sent the spider as a distraction elsewhere. Malastare I believe. Sev'rance is with him, but is no threat, her confidence was damaged when Jade's droids had to save her."

Ventress stroked her cheeks for a moment in thought, "yes, we can do this, he's like you, he wants to be at the front of a fight, we'll not get to him in time at Eriadu, but we can get ahead of him and wait at his next target. Observe, learn about our prey and then we strike."

* * *

Hunter sat in the cantina, watching the news report of the death of the Jedi terrorist. He swirled his drink in thought for a moment, torn about his next move. Something was wrong, everything was too neat and Master Adi Gallia would never have acted like that, he knew her at least a little.

The hospital was a trap for her, the information twisted. He finished his drink before setting the glass down and managed to control himself as he left. This was all a trap, his men were probably dead, the locals would believe General Jade's words, they wouldn't want to see any further. He frowned as he felt something wrong, it was too quiet.

He stepped into an ally and watched the street for a moment. Nothing was moving. He screamed as his chest suddenly burned, he looked down to see a red lightsaber blade through his heart.

He gasped and whimpered as he fell to his knees, a large clawed hand took him by the shoulder and dragged him deeper into the darkness, he glimpsed up and all he saw were shadows and golden swirls before oblivion took him.

* * *

Harry stood once more before his mirror looking at himself.

His door opened and Sirius entered.

"The shuttle?" he asked, his eyes focused on himself.

"As planned it entered hyperspace, its course pre-set. It dropped out of hyperspace less than two seconds later on its locked course for the local star, a vulture followed it as far as it could go, to ensure nothing altered the plan. No survivors. The vulture has been memory wiped and placed with the other new fighters."

"The loose ends?"

"Montu has finished hunting, no clones remain."

"Good, inform the fleet that we move to Eriadu immediately, full combat prep for hostile entry. I'm expecting heavy resistance. Transmit a diplomatic signal as the first wave enters the system, make sure its missed though."

"Yes father", Sirius nodded as he left, leaving his father to the darkness and his mirror, such an odd ritual.

Harry turned back and ran his finger down along his scar. A faint ache followed the touch. Maybe he should see about dealing with whatever residue of Voldemort's spell remained.

Returning to his desk he brought up the latest archaeology reports sent to him by Dooku, nothing new, nothing close to what he was looking for. The file on the Harch also said nothing about basilisks, another dead end. It must just be a natural instinct in spiders near him.

He ran his hands over his face, wiping away his frustration and exhaustion. He took a deep breath and released it. Better.

His comms beeped for his attention, reaching over he opened the channel, "yes?"

"Father, we have a message from James, he is on route with important information."

"Inform me when he arrives."

* * *

James read through the report once more. There was nothing definite, but some of the Jedi's visions implied a series of events, unfortunately he did not have enough information to process the events properly, father would be able to process the data, there was something here, he could feel it. He stopped and ran a systems check, nothing wrong, such an odd choice of wording. He felt it, he was a droid, he felt nothing.

His brothers were finishing repairs on each other, they had looked through the data already and added what they could to his notes. It would be good to be home. He just hoped that the information would help father in his search.

* * *

Darth Sidious stood, his image strong but his identity hidden, "Agreed, that is an acceptable price, you will ensure it is done quickly and quietly?"

Reshton Severindas looked the figure straight at where he expected its eyes to be. "The Ragnar Syndicate will assign three of its best for the job you're asking for. As standard, half up front, half on termination of the target. We'll get him, there's no one better."

"Excellent, he motioned off to one side of his image, the funds are on their way to you as requested along with his planned route, it's up to your men to pick the best time to strike, however, be aware that the information is time sensitive."

Reshton nodded, "understood. I will update you when I have a result."

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Reviews:**

Ranmaleopard: Thank you, I hope to keep you entertained to the end.

Stallion6 of Deviantart: Harry can't sense palpatines plots, but he can see events and plan accordingly.

AnimeA55Kicker: It's only a few white lies, plus lots of false and edited evidence :)

Theta-McBride: glad you are enjoying it.

Indecisive Bob: Thank you. Hubris is a good word to use.

C. : Thank you.

Thorndsword: Thankfully, for many people, he doesn't know about Vitiate or how he did it, nor does he know about Horcruxes, he was taken in his fifth year, the truth of horcruxes came about in his sixth year. If he knew… that might just be a line he would be unwilling to cross for the moment.

Beloved Daughter: Thank you. War is not pretty, Harry knows that. It's weird to think that the Republic still has a bigger collateral damage count than Harry and his faction of the CIS do. Then again, most people think the Jedi are causing Harry's share.

Shadowsmage: thank you.

Red Demon161: Harry is relieving some anger out on his enemies, hit them so hard they can't regroup in time for the next blow. Harry has some Basilisk in him, how do spiders react to that in Chamber of Secrets? If you know Trench's background then it is funny, otherwise less so. Plus his planned advance covers some worlds that the CIS has a little unfinished business with. The Trade Federation at least does.

BioHazard82: Thank you.

Lycan01: Thank you.

Tamagat: Thank you. Harry actually only has an emergency portkey built into his armour as well as bubblehead, cooling and heating charms to aid the suits own capabilities, everything else he can do himself. Unfortunately harry is a little overconfident on that front.

Starboy454: Thank you.

Stormbreaker02: Thank you. A while yet to go until that, but I'll get there :)

Daemonbarber: Thank you. I have a backlog of chapters which are mostly complete ready so I can cover small periods of writers block, I hate it when a story disappears for months at a time, I started so I shall finish. Hopefully at a decent pace.

Ksecc1: Good, I'll try to maintain that. The unanswered questions are indeed on purpose or I haven't realised I'm doing it at the moment, but I try to keep everything connected and have an answer for what is happening. If you have questions PM me and I'll see what I can answer without spoiling the story, so be warned, it might not be anything I wish to say at this time. Actually no, they weren't meant to be like dobby at all, but I can see the concept. I have just been adding more and more life to them slowly as they grow, magic is a wonderful and terrifying thing. Harry at this point doesn't know much of Voldemort's history, he thinks that he is a madman who wants to purge a taint from the world. Dumbledore is a manipulative old man who gets others to do his work to keep his hands clean. Harry just wants to go home, to do that he needs time and resources, something a war is preventing him from having. So he's trying to end the war as quickly as he can without destroying populations and resources, hence his lies and manipulations. He actually doesn't realise how similar to Dumbledore he is. If you threw the Greater Good analogy at him, and ask who's good, he would at least admit his own.

Talon Blu: Thank you, I'm very pleased to hear that.

Lord of Carrion: I've already mapped out the advances and areas brought into the fold as it were for the Southern conflict, there's plenty more worlds to come. Actually the FoF line was a lie, the civilians were in no danger, it's so unfortunate that all the evidence was destroyed, don't worry though, Harry is providing everyone the truth, well his version of it. There's also the fact that the civilians are unaware of the brute force harry actually uses. Trench's advance will cause problems for the republic, especially when they realise his end target. Information is power, he has been supplied some by Dooku through his Master, some through his own agents, but he needs more. The Jedi are not looking good at all, nor will this chapter help in that image. Harry has no definite plans at this time on replacing the Jedi and Sith, but the seeds have been sown.

Ser Vince: Thank you. And double thanks for being my 200th review :)

Akira Stridder: Thank you, I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Guest: Canon Harry may not, but this is AU based on a challenge, anything is possible.

Greyiron: Thank you. The aspect of his own faction will grow quite quickly.

Bearmauls: thank you :) I watched it just before writing that chapter and thought it very appropriate. Glad you are enjoying it. I wanted to have several chapters ahead of the release so I had a reserve in case of writers block, I've maintained it so far, but the story is slowly catching up on me.

Neodova: Thank you, I hope you enjoy the rest.

Alex2909: Glad you are enjoying the story.

Juvart24: Thank you very much; I hope you continue to enjoy it. The force is neither good nor evil; it's what you do with it that makes it so. The light side is about beginnings and life, growth and such. The dark side is entropy, the end of things. It's much more complex than that, but the core is valid.

Rakaan: Thank you. I hope you keep enjoying it as it continues.


	13. Here we are

**Chapter 13 – Here we are**

Eriadu reeled from the first blow, republic transponders and their codes had gotten a strike fleet close enough to cause major damage and a strong distraction in the republic fleet. Several of its vessels were now delisting, flames burning at their hearts. The republic began to regroup from the shock and began hammering at the Separatists shields.

And then the rest of the Fleet arrived.

Sev'rance watched as the Hermione led the way for the first strike group, she was in command of the second group, her target was the orbital facilities and the general's orders were clear, take them and secure orbital dominance.

"Helm, forward full, Vultures keep the bombers off us. Boarding teams prepare for assault, estimated," she looked at her datapad, "twenty minutes." She turned and looked at the droid to her right, "the general gave you command of the assault itself, I'll get as close as we can, you may have a rough boarding."

Montu looked at the chiss, "I prefer it that way." With a nod to her and his brothers guarding her, the droid left to prep for his mission.

* * *

Harry grinned with glee at the republics attempts to stop them. Although something was wrong, they were not reacting as expected. Where was the now famous intellect of Wilhuff Tarkin? Or was that infamous?

He grunted in annoyance, they were reacting to his moves, doing their best to hold them back from landing troops. There were no feints, vicious attacks, dancing amongst the stars, turbofire dancing across hulls searching for a crack to kill with. Most annoyingly, he could identify the flagship and it was just sitting there, a small guard of frigates around it. Right at the heart of the fleet.

Well, that will have to be corrected. He turned to scan his bridge, his eyes narrowed in thought, then a crazy smile broke open. "More power to forward shields, move to full speed, fly directly for their flagship, aim turbolasers at its guard."

* * *

"Captain Tarkin, we are under assault. They punched through our defences and are hammering at us with more than we can handle, your orders?"

Wilhuff Tarkin's image flickered for a moment, his eyebrow raised and a sneer at the man before him. Had harry seen it he would have thought he'd discovered a relation to Snape. "And how am I supposed to give orders with the information you have just given me? Where is your commanding officer? Send me everything you have."

"The captain is dead sir, vulture droid rammed the bridge, we're controlling things from engineering at the moment. Data package is on route to you now. Sweet merci…"

Tarkin blinked in shock as the connection was abruptly cut, he quickly scanned the last few sections of the data package and stared at the information before the connection was cut.

He watched the sensor readings of the battle, a dreadnaught recognised as the Hermione had punched into the defensive fleet and rammed their flagship. It hadn't even slowed on doing so, its broadsides tore another four ships apart before it had passed them, the formation was reeling and the rest of the separatist force that had been following had hammered into them, targeting ship by ship, ignoring the others until their target was dead.

The Hermione had just ignored the fight and stopped in orbit over the capital. The ship he had been in communication with had then been destroyed by the second force that appeared to be heading for the orbital station.

The Chancellor needed to know immediately, this had turned into a disaster, most of the eighteenth Army fleet had been stationed there, the remainder were too scattered and small in number to drive that force off.

He opened comms to coruscant, the data package being prepped as an urgent transmission. He sent a second comms to the Jedi on board, Master Evan Piell, "General, we have a problem, I am sending you a report I have just received."

Master Piell, quickly scanned the report before growling back through the comms, "we're too far away to do anything in time, the battle will have already been lost, send orders out to regroup at Dolla. Our mission to deliver the codes is a priority."

Tarkin sneered at the comms channel in disgust, but hid it from his voice, "yes general, I'll transmit the orders."

* * *

Captain Gideon Tarkin watched from his escape pod as the remnants of the eighteenth sector defence fleet retreated from the system. His comms array was damaged, he could only receive, not transmit. He sat there with a few of his officers and listened at the cries for orders and help rang out. The failure was his alone, his brother had left him in charge of the sector commands defences whilst he was on an urgent mission with the jedi.

A separatist vessel came near and the pod shuddered as a tractor beam locked onto it.

Over the comms came a message, "surrender peacefully or you will be dealt with appropriately."

He looked to his men preparing themselves to fight, with a nod, he stood and began to speak. "Men, we have lost this day, however I will not sit in the shame of defeat, we will fight, take as many lives as we can for our own. We will not surrender, my death is a price I'm willing to pay to hold them back if only an inch. Will you join me?"

His answer was a stun blast in the back. His second looked at the others, "we're not clones they'll take us prisoner but we have a chance that way to go home after all this. What do you say?"

The clatter of blasters hitting the floor was his answer.

* * *

Jedi Master Hyris-Well Madorin pulled himself from his Delta-7. The wreckage scorched and torn from the crash, but it had got him back to the surface. He had to get away from here and aid the ground defences, the vulture droids won't take long to find him if he stayed. Phelar Port was not too far, he could see the city on the horizon, smoke came from the port itself, but not from the city. A good sign, now he just had to get there.

* * *

Knight Rees Alrix led her men down the street, troop transports were landing all over the place, as usual they were outnumbered, but something was wrong.

Her men had ambushed a squad of B1's but rather than stand in their ranks firing as they usually did, they moved to cover and began shooting with accuracy like her own men. She lost over a dozen men for about the same number of droids.

She managed to hide her confusion from the men around her, ratchet grinned at her and winked before putting his helmet back on. She nodded, much calmer now, she commed to the commander.

"General?" His voice echoed slightly in the alleyway.

"Commander we have a problem. The B1's are acting like commando's. Cancel the other ambushes, we have to change our fighting style here."

"I'm afraid that's too late general, all the ambushes began as planned, I've been waiting for reports to come in. you're the first so far. Wait, more teams are reporting in." silence held for a moment, then the commanders voice returned sounding much more tired. "Fifty percent losses are the average, four teams were near total losses."

Rees sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Change of plans gentlemen, we are to act as if we were infiltrating a hostile world held by the enemy. Commander gather everything you can and booby-trap your site, relocate to another, do not inform anyone of your new location. Shift operations to a cell structure, see if you can contact any other Jedi before you leave, I could do with all the help I can get."

* * *

Walden Bridger was a Jedi master and a quartermaster before a general. He could see how things had suddenly shifted. The droids had struck at vital points across the planet with large numbers of troops. The B1's were acting like the commando droids rather than the idiots they normally were. From their landing points they spread and secured the surrounding areas, then they were methodically sweeping each block as they advanced.

He had received the comms from the clone commander and had been glad when he realised he wasn't alone. He motioned to his men and they moved back into the tunnels. Many called him paranoid with his routine when he arrived anywhere new. He always looked around for a secondary base to fall back to, supply it and keep it quiet, just in case. His men had joked that he'd never gotten to use one of his backups and probably wouldn't until after the war ended and he had to clean them up. He smiled slightly, well they were glad for it now.

His men were tired, injured and dirty, but they were warm, fed and secure. Looking over the city below, he frowned and changed his plans once more, they would need to ration their supplies, no knowing how long they would have to last. Eriadu was an important place, but the separatist border was right next door, there was no way they wouldn't reinforce this system now they had it.

He stopped in his pacing with a cold feeling in his gut, maybe another backup base would be a good idea, yes, better to have one ready than need one later, with a wave he called over his sergeant.

* * *

Harry looked down at the world below, in deep thought he pondered his next move, he could feel the Jedi below, he could move on with his plan or he could hunt them down. None of them felt familiar to him, maybe he should use this as a test for the Blackguard.

Yes, weed the weak from the strong. His gut telling him he was needed elsewhere. Nodding he returned to his seat, opening comms to the relevant sections as he spoke.

"Fleet one prepare to leave, we need to strike our next target whilst we hold the momentum. Sev'rance, wait until the guardian fleet arrives, then continue to your next target, let them clean up behind us."

"As you command, do I have authorisation to handle things as I decide?"

"Within reason, you know how I prefer things, maintain that standard. Hedwig, what are our troop numbers?"

"The first wave resulted in extensive losses, they have been repaired and tactical droids are learning from the experience. We are currently using the new droids constructed; none of your ritual enhanced droids were deployed here. The new programing and deployment on this scale has been a success in the field as expected."

Harry opened his comms to the Blackguard, "Ulmec, you are now the governor of Eriadu, a legion of droids will be assigned to your use, there are at least three Jedi on world. Capture them if possible, kill them if required. Failure will not be tolerated. Do not use your lightsabers, three cortosis blades will be supplied to you. I do not want any signs of Sith activity to be discovered or reported back to the Jedi, am I understood?"

The deep voice on the other side of the comms rumbled, "yes master, your will is law."

* * *

The resistance was being hunted already, figures in dark robes and uniforms were tracking them somehow, their droids were also different to the others, red edged with gold and a strange golden feline upon their chest plates. It looked almost like a cathar male, but as an animal not a humanoid.

Master Madorin was leading the group towards the safe house, he needed information and the comms channels were being watched. The holonet was silent, blocked by the separatist forces. Master Bridger had managed to find a few pirates who had been grounded, he'd acquired their services and they would act as parts of a relay to send a message back to the core.

Everyone was still grounded and people were getting hungry, with no ships launching or landing without permission from orbit, things were going to get bad.

Bridger had at least already made a stockpile for emergencies, which were going to become very important if the blockade did not end soon.

Knight Alrix had taken a group to scout the markets for news, the young knight had a passion for flying like himself, they had enjoyed the debates of the best fighters, completely ignoring the delta-7 as an option, it was good for morale, the men betting on who would win the current round, his men already used to the behaviour, the others quickly caught on and joined in.

Madorin exited the last alley before the final run, carefully crossing the busy street, right in the middle of the street a cry came out, his hand dropping to his saber as a child tried to pickpocket him.

"Jedi!" The boy cried, the crowd quickly parting and droids at the corners of the crossroads turned to look at Madorin.

Merciful force, he needed to run. Jumping he made it to the roof, quickly covering distance, a glance behind him showed a probe droid following his footsteps, two landspeeders rose nearby and began to close on him.

He glanced around, there, with a yank of the force, a set of washing covered the droid, disrupting its sensors for a second. He jumped down into the alley and watched as it flew overhead, still hunting for him. A few seconds later the landspeeders passed as well. He sighed in relief but froze as a dark shadow blocked the light from the end of the alley.

"Surrender or die", the rough voice croaked at him. A sickly cold sensation washed over Madorin for a moment between heart beats.

With a surge of the force fuelling his muscles, he ran towards the other exit, two red and gold droids blocked that way but he slammed into them with the force as he ran towards them. They didn't even stagger from the impact, rubbish from the alley struck them, but they simply raised their rifles and fired.

His shock at them not moving actually saved his life, as he had staggered to a stop, their shots hit where he was meant to be. Rifles moving to focus on him, he threw his lightsaber, the blade carving through the air towards the pair as he ran towards them once more.

Except the droids weren't damaged, as the blades energy got within two inches of their armour a thin ripple of energy like a shield absorbed the energy, the hilt of the blade returning to his hand. Fortunately for him the blow had knocked them back giving him the room he required. He broke through and ran for the crowd.

A blaster fired behind him and he felt a surge of heat and pain in his leg, he rolled from the momentum before hobbling into the crowd. Carefully he moved to a side and sat down, the man next to him looked at madorin. With a moments grace and a touch of inspiration he waved his hand at the man, "you need to run home now, you're late." A nudge on the man's mind with the force and he was up and running.

Cries from behind him told him his decoy had been spotted and that they thought it was him. He watched as they ran past, waiting a few minutes to give them space before he began to limp off back to base.

They needed to either get off world or deal with the separatists on world. Either worked for him.

* * *

Harry stood on the surface of Belsavis, ice ruled most of the planet except for regions like here where volcanic vents warmed the air. Tropical plants grew around him, the wildlife always in motion around him, seeking easy prey. He let his aura free around him and every predator in the region knew he was there and too dangerous to attack.

The ruins around him were silent bar the fires crackling around him. The droids had already taken the prisoners for processing, he let his eyes rove across the scene before him.

Guilt and pride warring in him. They had chosen to fight him rather than surrender, it was their own fault it had come to this. The bodies had been gathered and sent to be destroyed.

This scene had been repeated across the planet. Few were left, hidden in the cracks and tunnels below, there was not enough of them to make a resistance now. Time to move on to the next system. A Legion of the normal rogers would be enough to protect his interests. There were signs of ancient construction. Dooku never brought this world up in their discussions, why hadn't he?

His organic crew had been giving him worried glances every so often, his recent aggression odd to them.

No matter, the filthy muggles were of no consequence, they would all soon know their place at his feet. He stopped, realisation coming to him. Something was very wrong, something was affecting him. He turned back to the Lily. His guts churned at the thought of being corrupted or taken over by something else, especially by Him.

A ripple of danger in the force and his body reacted, a hand raised and a shield blocked the three blaster rifle shots. He snarled in anger, who would dare.

Reaching out with his senses he felt their presences. Three different areas. Eeenie, meanie, minie, mo. With a twist he apparated behind the first assassin, he heard the gasped "what the…"

His wand touched the back of his prey's head. "Bombarda!"

The other two assassins blinked in shock at what they had witnessed. They both reached for their comms to see if either of the others could spot the target when over to one side, a wall of stone exploded, stepping through the smoke was the target. How did he get there so fast, then the target repeated his disappearing trick.

The assassin grabbed his pack and ran, he had to escape, warn the boss. This was well out of his experience, three Jedi kills to his name, a replacement arm from the second of those fights and this scared the hell out of him.

A crack like a gunpowder weapon came from above, a shadow fell over him and he dodged to one side, another crack almost blocked the scream as his team-mate impacted on the ground, his limbs rigid and locked in shape, the flesh quivered and tore but nothing more happened. Then as if time caught up, the body collapsed into a pile of soft torn flesh, the blood spread slowly.

What in all the names of the ancestors was happening?

He made it to his ship, small and swift it would get him away. He sighed in relief as he climbed into the cockpit and fired the engines, the ship began to climb and then suddenly without warning, the target was standing on the cockpit, the wind pulling at him, but he acted as if nothing was wrong.

He started to twist the ship to make the target fall. Instead of watching the human fall to his death, he heard a terrifying screaming of metal as the hull of the ship flayed away. He opened the comms to the ship hidden in orbit. An emergency data burst with all the recordings transmitted to the ship alongside his words. "Mayday, mayday, the target is aware and hostile, retreat, I repeat retreat. Ancestors just run." Another screaming of metal and the comms section was torn away, the cables pulled through the ship, ripping his leg away with it.

He screamed in horror, the pain not registering in the surprise. He looked up at the target above him, a lightsaber poised to strike, he closed his eyes waiting for the end, a hissing hum of the blade cutting and then whistling as the ship fell, a muffled crack came from above and he opened his eyes.

He screamed as the ship fell and he couldn't escape, the ejection system still glowing from the blades passing.

Harry stood on the cliff watching the small ship fall from the skies, and crash into the forest below. He growled in anger. "Who would dare?"

* * *

The probe droids had witnessed the attempt on the general's life. They didn't see everything, but enough to stall the conspirators plans quite thoroughly.

"How?" Ventress ranted. "One moment he was in the middle then another and he was at the assassin. What happened down there?"

Grievous snarled at her "quiet woman! I don't know, I've never seen anyone do what he did before today. This must be what has caught our Masters eye. This unique ability to move like that. He also defended himself against three separate attacks at the same time that I was unaware of. Did you send the assassins?"

"No, that was a surprise, I should have really expected it though and he's made plenty of enemies. I'm no coward, but I would not want to face him without some way to limit his movement." She looked at the cyborg in thought. "Our anger has clouded our minds. We do not need to strike directly, let the Jedi know the location of a Sith, they will do the rest. If they realise it's him, they will prepare a suitable team, the losses to the Jedi would be painful to them, Jades death a boon to us."

Grievous nodded, "indeed, I will investigate his plans and inform you of his route. You will then leak it to the Jedi. Let them lose their lives to stop him."

* * *

Madorin watched the battlefield below. The surviving clone troopers were forced into kneeling lines, droids patrolling their ranks. This was the third time he had forced himself to watch the events that would follow. Today would be different.

As the droids moved to position, he signalled his squad and the snipers fired. Droids fell, the rest moving to cover. A human male in a black uniform stood in the open watching everything. A shot went for him and he simply swayed out of the way.

Madorin frowned, the range gave him the chance but he had begun to move before the shot had been taken. He raised his own rifle and fired at the man, this time he simply moved into cover and started yelling orders.

The clones were almost to cover when the mines triggered.

He staggered back as the surge of sudden deaths hit him. He almost vomited before gathering himself and firing at the shadows moving through the dust.

One of the droids stepped out of the dust pushing a clone before it, shots punched into the clone, cries of horror from his men for killing one of their own. The droid collapsed as a torrent of fire fell upon it.

Madorin signalled the retreat, his men carried the survivors they could reach to the evac vehicles. He sat and watched as the dust cleared and the man was standing there, a clone at his feet, another to one side. He raised a pistol and shot the one to the side and placed his foot on the throat of the clone beneath him. He just stood there looking over the rocky hillside as he slowly crushed the life from the clone, ignoring the scrambling of the hands on his leg.

He started to move when the man shouted out. "Jedi! I know you are watching me. My name is Ulmec, I am the governor of this world. You know where I will be, I look forward to facing you in battle." He then twisted his foot, crushing the neck below it fully before walking away.

Madorin watched him leave and sat there for nearly ten minutes staring at the body, then he carefully moved away. His anger at the situation growing but he ran through the mantra as he moved, the fury cooling as he made his escape. This needed to end, and he would be the one to do it.

* * *

Harry sat in his chair, looking at the report. James stood opposite at rest, his sensors looking out the window to the frozen world below.

"I should be angry with you. I really should. You brought the republics attention to a site I had plans for, the site was lost, the ion weapons were lost and you let the Jedi go. She witnessed these visions, has knowledge of me and you let her go."

James turned to look at his father before nodding, "yes father."

Harry looked up at him, "and you would do it again without a doubt wouldn't you?"

"Yes father."

Harry sighed and rubbed his face to wipe away the exhaustion he was feeling. "And in your place I would have done the same. He dropped the datapad onto his desk. I know most of these events, they're my life after all. There are a few I don't recognise however. Those may be the clues I've been missing. I have a new mission for you James, you are to return to Coruscant, infiltrate the Jedi archives, search for anything that may tell us which world this is, find it."

James stood up straighter and nodded, "yes father." He turned to leave the room and stopped at his father's voice in the doorway.

"James. Well done and thank you."

* * *

Madorin hid in the shadows, watching the movement of the governor's palace. Knight Alrix was on route to the rendezvous, master Bridger had organised an attempt to run the blockade, Alrix would attempt to inform the council of what was happening. His job was to cause a major distraction to draw attention here. An assassination attempt on the new governor would be a good start. He had half the clone troopers distributed around the area, they would move on his signal. Bridger was waiting with the other half in case things went wrong. He would be needed to lead the resistance.

He checked his timepiece again, his masters gift upon becoming a Knight, an heirloom of his family, now lost and gone, he had never been good at keeping the time. Only three minutes before he was to begin.

Bureaucracy never ends, the doors would open soon and he could sneak inside. At his signal the clones would strike at the droids support network. A grand chain of event to hamper the separatist plans.

He began walking, a quiet hum and three clicks on his comms told him that everything was ready and Alrix was in place. With a deep breathe he joined the gathering crowd. At eight forty five exactly the doors opened.

Everyone was calm, business as usual, he followed a few cleaners into the back corridors, swiftly acquiring a uniform from a locker, the force aiding him as he nudged the staff to forget him. His lightsaber in the mop bucket, the water quickly dirty enough to hide its presence. He moved to the higher levels and began mopping the floors, waiting for his moment. He was just thankful he had waterproofed his lightsaber.

Three hours later and he finally made it to the area around the governor's office. In a quiet lull he moved into the room, his pistol on stun, the secretary dropped onto her desk unconscious.

He quietly opened the door and entered the darkened room, his senses wide open to find what he sought, there. He swiftly moved and lit his lightsaber, anger and frustration burning within, barely held in restraint.

The blade sank into the figure and his eyes widened as the shutters suddenly opened to show a clone trooper in the governor's clothing bound to the chair.

"My, my, how unfortunate, you missed." The gravelly voice echoed around the room.

Madorin span, looking for the threat. "Show yourself! I'll make this quick and painless unlike the death you deserve."

The chuckle emanated from a corner and the man stepped out of the shadows. His eyes glanced across the Jedis face, searching for features and details. "You would be… master Hyris-Well Madorin, ace pilot and Jedi guardian, this is an honour, no common assassin for me." Again he chuckled moving over to his desk.

Madorin followed his movement, surprise clouding his mind, confusion at the way this Ulmec acted.

"Shall we get right to it then, or would you like to banter first?"

With a surge of anger at the flippant comment, Madorin charged, his blade swinging to bisect Ulmec, his eyes widened in shock as the saber's blade collapsed, a dark grey metal blade had been used to parry and shut down his lightsaber.

Ulmec grimaced at Madorin's surprise. "Not my preferred weapon, but orders are orders. I presume you will not come quietly then? Very well." At this he moved into the makashi fighting stance and attacked.

Madorin dodged and weaved, until his blade reignited. Then he carefully tested his opponent's defences. He carefully dodged a thrust at head height, making his own thrust at the gap opened in the defence and triggered his signal at the same time.

Dust fell from the roof of the room as it shook, Ulmec raised an eyebrow at that but continued to advance and force his opponent back. Soon they were in the halls, crowds of people staggered to a stop and screamed at the fight. At the sight of the crowds, Madorin tensed to flee.

Ulmec just chuckled, "I'm leaving tomorrow, and you'll never get another chance to avenge your men."

Madorin growled and began to aggressively attack, less care in his moves as he let his anger control him, he would bring this murderer to justice, save this world, be the hero. His attention snapped fully back to Ulmec as the governor miss-stepped and was impaled by the lightsaber. He gasped and fell backwards. Screams echoed at the sight, the blade falling to the floor, security was almost there. Madorin fled.

* * *

Harry sat in the pilot seat of the Lily. "Yes Hedwig, I will be back soon, just move to the rendezvous point and await my return, let's give Sev'rance some time to continue on her route, Trench should also be at Malastare by now."

"As you wish father, might we know of your destination?"

"I need to relax, get my head in gear and sort a few things out. I'm off to Raxus to see senator Bonteri, I'll be making a detour on the way back. At most I should be a week. It will keep the republic wondering where we shall strike next. "

* * *

 **AN:**

Just so people are aware, Master Walden Bridger is not related to Ezra Bridger to my knowledge, nor am I making that the case here.

I also had my first really negative review, thus I needed cheering up a touch, so here's a fic I recommends for any day you are feeling down.

s/5483280/1/Harry-Potter-and-the-Champion-s-Champion

I laugh out loud each time I read it.

 **Reviews:**

Akira Stridder: Harry is blinding himself to Dooku's previous betrayals, he doesn't want to see them. The droid hasn't informed him yet, but things will get messier when that happens.

Lord of Carrion: Order 66 is part of Sidious' plan, it was to remove the Jedi once they were no longer useful and if they discovered who he was. Dooku is caught between his own plans and Sidious', the problem there is that one side of it is going to snap before too long. The Horcrux issue is a problem, but small spoiler, it will be resolved, I think around chapter nineteen or twenty or so, still haven't written that part yet. Grievous is too far gone to be truly restored, there wasn't just control chips put in there, they chopped bits out too.

Ksecc1: its currently like a jenga tower, very soon one piece will be enough to topple things. He's going to be rather disgusted with himself when he realises just where he's heading. No its not a cruel harry going back, he will be willing to do things others wouldn't, but its not Darth Abaddon going back, but Harry Potter.

Arashi – IV of VI: Thank you.

Mordalfus Grea: Easy enough prediction, but a little more than that.

Humo146: Well… there is a prophesy…

Neodova: Thank you, I hope you continue to enjoy it.

BioHazard82: Thank you.

Starboy454: Thank you.

Neon1311: Thank you. I can understand the issue, its awkward writing some of it when stuff like that happens.

Guest: I will do so.

Ser Vince: Thank you.

Ranmaleopard: thank you. Unfortunately he won't, I had thought of it, but it didn't seem right to do so.

Emperor Vanquest: The Harry/Voldemort issue is that there is only one Horcrux remaining, nothing else remains at that point. Its less merge as bleeding across. Harry is a smart young man who wants to advance in skill, he currently has a supportive mentor figure who is learning from him for most of the skills but has knowledge of similar matters. Then there is the last great tool in the arsenal, what would Hermione do? :) As for the philosophers stone issue. Yes harry could make one if he knew how, neither himself, nor Voldemort know how to make one. Harry could guess how to make it but it would take decades of research to get close enough to even make an attempt.

SrgtHamy: Basically Mallie gave the Horcrux a kick to wake it up a little, its growing more aware and beginning to seep into Harry. On the other side, Harry is stronger and more experienced than last time. It's a tough road, but it will progress.

Alex2909: not well :)

Lycan01: Thank you.

So you want to be an Author: She had no motive, however the evidence given by Harry to the public would have twisted things. After all she had been the general in charge of unleashing an army of uncontrolled killer robots on the civilians, it's like she wants them all dead. It's weak and full of holes if people really look, but most won't bother looking for themselves or digging deeper into the truth. Those who do, what happens to them depends on if they are caught.

Stallion6 of Deviantart: Ventress has her tale to tell, no matter how long or short it is.

Red Demon161: In canon the CIS make a solid surge and hold the line for three years, then everything collapses after Coruscant, their leadership is killed leaving droids in command of large forces, it does not end well for them. The Rising Empire swallows everything up. Here Harry is messing up the plan by driving the republic back and consolidating the worlds he's taken. Rather than large battles over the same worlds, he's hitting the infrastructure and resources of the enemy.

Beloved Daughter: Harry is doing his best to appear the hero. As long as no one digs too deeply he will be fine and if the Jedi or republic discover what he's really done then their proof is just propaganda and lies against the great hero of the CIS. You also have to remember that his conflict involves shutting down the communication lines of the enemy until it's too late. The Council is going to be very confused when they finally see the news reports of Adi Gallia.

Thorndsword: Right at this point, maybe he would, but that's not on the cards at the moment.

Eljin1: Afraid the shard wasn't killed in that, but up to the visions was harry alone, its only after that his actions have been nudged.

Indecisive Bob: Thank you. The Horcrux in harry is desperate to survive, it knows it's the last part left.

Hikari Nova: As per my reading of the challenge, harry will return as he arrived. His biggest gain will be the knowledge and skills he knows. Then again that's rather a lot really.

God of all: thank you. I'm updating slower than I originally began with but am looking at about a five to seven day release plan.

Grayiron: thank you.

Davycrockett100: thank you.

Shugokage: thank you.

Joeya12: Thank you. I hope you keep enjoying the story.

Qinetiq: Thank you for your view point.


	14. Sparks of Rebellion

**Chapter 14 – Sparks of Rebellion**

Padme looked out of the window, seeing Lux sitting on the steps leading to the gardens. She remembered the last time she saw him, walking beside his father, listening to stories of far off places. "He's grown so much, Mina."

Mina Bonteri chuckled as she crossed the room, "Time won't stop, even if we are at war. And I'm afraid these events are shaping his young life."

Ahsoka frowned at the discussion, "With all due respect, as a separatist, didn't you create this war?"

"Ahsoka!" Padme called out, anger in her voice.

Mina raised a hand to stop her friend, "It's all right. That's a very polarized point of view, my dear. Would it surprise you to know that many of the people you call separatists feel the same way about the Republic, and the Jedi? Lux's father was like that."

"Maybe I could speak with him." She wondered why Padme winced slightly at that.

"If only you could." Mina sighed, pain colouring her words. "A year ago next week, he was setting up a base on Aargonar when clones attacked. I asked him to take a safer position, but he refused, said he had already given his word. My husband fought bravely in self-defence, but was killed."

Ahsoka flinched at that, guilt flared at hurting her host, "Excuse me. I think I'll get some air." She bowed and left them to talk and walked outside, she saw Lux was sitting below on the stairs to the gardens. A quick check and she saw no weapons, nor a threat, so she carried on to explore and clear her head.

Lux watched as the Togruta passed him, his eyes fell on the lightsabers at her waist. "You're a Jedi, aren't you?"

Ahsoka turned to face him, an eyebrow marking raised at the blunt question. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Before the war, I was always told Jedi were good." He seemed wistful at that as if drifting with memories.

"And now?"

Lux hopped off the wall, "I don't know anymore." He began walking down the stairs beside her. "There are lot of terrible things happening, a lot of killing. And now many of my friends are saying the Jedi are to blame."

With an amused tone she glanced at him, "I'm the first Jedi you've ever met, aren't I?"

"Well, um, yes. The first Jedi still loyal to the republic I've met."

She turned to face him, curious about his statement. She had heard nothing about any rogue Jedi joining the separatists; maybe she could get more information. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Look at me. I'm not so bad, am I?"

He looked her over in full from feet to montrals. "No, not bad at all." A small smirk on his lips.

Ahsoka sighed in annoyance, "Uh. Well, it seems boys are the same whether they're Republic or separatist." She turned and began to walk off.

"Wait." He jogged to catch up with her, "How many separatists have you met?"

"What?" Confusion in her voice at his question.

"Well, I mean, you probably think we're all the bad guys. But how many of us have you actually met? And droids don't count."

At his openly curious look, she decided to answer honestly. "Well, other than military officers like Grievous, Ventress and… Jade, None, I guess. You and your mother are the first."

He looked curious at her answer before smiling smugly. "Well, look at me. Am I so bad?"

Ahsoka frowned in thought at that. Lux suddenly grinned and then froze as his eyes glanced between her and whoever was now behind her, she felt a presence, strong in the force. Her hands slipped to her lightsabers automatically.

"Well, well, well. Ahsoka Tano, in the flesh. What an… unexpected surprise. No need for that my dear," she turned to face him, General Jade stood there in a simple set of clothes, Burgundy with gold coloured edging, the material very low quality and simple in appearance, nothing close to the standard the Bonteri's wore. "Lux, be a good sport and get your mother for me, I was hoping to raid her wine cellar and catch up." His eyes never left Ahsoka's, calm and sure but with a great weight burdening him. Dark bags under his eyes showed how tired he was, the lightning bolt scar on his forehead redder than before, it looked a little inflamed.

Lux stepped around the pair, caution in his steps. Harry's eyes snapped to his, "no fear lux, I'm not going to report this to the count or anyone else, run along, let her know I'm here. Don't worry I'm sure I can entertain your guest for the few minutes you're gone."

Lux walked off and as soon as he was out of sight began to run. Harry smirked at the noise he made in his hurry before returning his attention back to Ahsoka. He waved a hand to the gazebo, "please, join me."

She carefully moved over and sat down on the bench.

He sat next to her. "Before we get into small talk, I must ask. What of the crystal I gave you."

She frowned at him, "it's safe and secure, I've kept quiet about it."

He relaxed and the smile became more genuine. "Good," he sighed, "good. It is unique and holds great sentimental value to me, my first friend here you could say." He glanced at her for a moment, "if you want to know more, you'll need to find the right sort of… box. Place the crystal within and it will do the rest."

"What kind of box?"

"One the Jedi have many of. Now, how have you been? And nothing about the war please, I am interested in you and how you are feeling."

She glared at him for a moment, before she turned sad. "I should be angry with you, it hurt you know, to realise I don't remember them beyond glimpses and fragments."

He smiled sadly at her. "I know more than you would believe how it feels. Are they still alive?"

"Yes, with two other children. I have a brother and sister I have never met, it's unlikely I ever will, or that they know of me."

"Siblings," he whispered, "how I envy you, even if you never meet them, your family is still there and carrying on. Cherish that knowledge Ahsoka, it is more valuable than you imagine. I imagine they do know of you, they're probably very proud of you. They see your image on the holonet beside your master and say, that's my sister."

She glanced at him as he sighed looking off into the distance. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be on the front?"

"Always with the questions." He chuckled before sighing again. "And shouldn't you be there too? Mina is a friend of mine, we keep in contact and when I have darker days I take a break and come here to remind myself what I am fighting for. Lux always wants to hear my stories, I indulge him, although he's rather too old for them. Perhaps he'll badger me enough to get me to tell one this evening."

"Stories? You're a storyteller as well?"

"I have discovered that I have a small talent for it. I'm not that great but it makes them happy."

Up in the office Padme and Mina were discussing matters still. "I admire your spirit, Padme. I can at least put the motion on the floor."

Padme sighed in relief, "Thank you, Mina. That's all I ask."

Lux burst into the room, "mother!"

Mina stood suddenly, worry in her stance and voice, "what's the matter Lux?"

"Har…" his eyes glanced to Padme for a moment, "general jade is here."

Padme paled at the information and quickly stood up, unsure what to do, wringing her hands in worry. Mina just looked to the roof and sighed, "of all the… that man has no sense of timing at all." She looked back to Lux, "where is he?"

Lux glanced over to Padme and winced, "I left him with the Jedi in the gazebo."

Padme ran to the window to look over the gardens and saw General Jade and Ahsoka talking, they seemed calm enough and, what was he wearing?

Mina swept out of the room and entered the gardens, she found them talking quietly, hearing him mention his stories. "Har… Evan, it's so good to see you. You're not in trouble again are you? I don't have to rescue you from any more young ladies?"

Ahsoka blinked in shock as the hardened general blushed at the senator's words.

"Mina! It's good to see you, and no, no rescuing me this time. She's kept her distance ever since. Everything alright here?"

Mina smiled and hugged him, Ahsoka watched as he flinched for a moment at the contact before relaxing. Mina released him and continued. "Young man, what's the matter?"

He grimaced at her, "I can just visit can't I?"

Mina stuttered again at the start of her sentence and glanced at Ahsoka watching them in shock at the display. "Evan, You only visit when you're having a bad time, otherwise you talk on the holonet with us."

He rubbed his forehead for a moment, "yeah, I just needed to get away from it for a few days, clear my head. Plus I missed your cook's skills." He chuckled at some private joke between them, mina pouted in annoyance.

She smiled at him, "come, you already know padawan Tano here, so I presume you have already met senator Amidala. They are my guests for a few days. We have some business to resolve." She took his elbow and began walking back to the house, they chatted amicably arm in arm.

* * *

Sidious looked at the image of Reshton Severindas, "what do you mean they failed? I thought you had sent three of your best?"

"I did, the three worked together to strike at your target, but you didn't mention they were a Jedi Master. I had to send a rescue team in, sneak past a blockade and land in enemy territory just to find out that they had been slaughtered. I managed to gather a few fragments of information but it is sketchy at best, one of the rifles had a scope which recorded the attack, he somehow managed to protect himself against three shots at the same time from different direction. One I would expect, two is possible, three is too much even for a normal Jedi. I also found my scout ship had been shot down and scattered across the southern hemisphere."

"I require a copy of the recordings."

"I expected you would and I am sending at as part of the severing of the contract."

Sidious snarled, "you are going to take my money and run without completing the contract."

Reshton looked into the shadows where he imagined Sidious' eyes were. "No, I sent three of my very best to get your intel, they all died quickly and brutally in the attempt. Your money will only just cover the cost of replacing the resources I sent. Be glad I'm not blacklisting you in the guild for this. It will take years to suitably train their replacements."

Sidious nodded, holding his anger within, "very well, I accept the change of our business, transmit the data now and I will send the remainder of the payment."

Reshton managed to cover his surprise at that, maintaining his business persona he continued, "Thank you for that. Should you require our services in the future, then we will require full disclosure of the target."

Sidious nodded, as the data finally arrived he sent the payment. "We will discuss future business later." As he cut the line he snarled and triggered a second line. "Kill him, advise his replacement to be more polite and effective in their future dealings with us. Ensure he sent the full data."

He snarled as he let his anger pass, opening the file he began to watch as Jade blocked the attack and used the force to enhance his speed as he left the scopes view, it flickered around trying to find him before it suddenly cut off.

Jade was obviously powerful and skilled, but nothing to be truly worried about. Sidious wondered if the Jedi had better files on Jade than he did, maybe he should ask Skywalker to acquire copies for him.

* * *

Padme and Ahsoka sat hooded in the public area of the confederate senate chamber.

Mina stood tall and proud on the senate floor, "How many lives on both sides have to end before we see the futility? Surely there's room in the galaxy for confederate and Republic planets to coexist. I move that we immediately open peace negotiations with Chancellor Palpatine on Coruscant."

A representative spoke across from mina, "we have already offered our hands to the neutral council, they are still deliberating over our offers, why should we offer the same to the republic?"

Mina answered him, "because it is the right thing to do. I don't want another Aargonar to happen, I don't want more funerals for those who lose their lives on the war front. Peace and calm will allow proper trade to restart and our economy to recover."

The female representative beside her spoke out, "The corporate alliance will never allow this to happen."

Another representative called out, "This is a democracy, and unlike the Republic, corporations do not rule us."

"What about General Jade?" was yelled from the sides.

Mina spoke out clearly, "I have discussed the matter with him directly, he was in support of my bill."

Shouting erupted from both sides of the argument; everyone appeared to have an opinion.

Dooku's image called out, "Quiet." Quickly calm fell upon the chamber, "In accordance with the bylaws of independent systems, a voice vote is required. All in favour of initiating peace negotiations with the galactic Republic, say aye."

A chorus of ayes were called out, the word echoing in the chamber.

Dooku nodded and continued, "All those opposed."

Another chorus cried out, nay this time.

The balance was very close to most listening, Ahsoka however smiled, an advantage of her species being that she was sensitive to the difference between noise levels.

Count Dooku nodded sagely and continued, "The ayes have it."

* * *

Resting his head in his hands, Nix Card looked up at Count Dooku's image, "This is quite troubling, your own senate voting to end the war."

Dooku steepled his fingers and projecting an image of calm, "I assure you, gentlemen, your worries are gravely exaggerated."

Lott Dod stepped forward, "How can you be sure this groundswell of peace won't continue? Where is the attack we were promised?"

Gume Saam leaned forward on the desk, trying to appear intimidating, "We need fighting to feed the war machine and our profits."

Dooku looked unimpressed, "After our attack, the chances of peace will disappear. General Jade's actions will ensure that the senate would have to be most desperate in order to discuss further peace negotiations. Do not worry gentlemen, the banking clan, the trade federation, and the techno union will all get their fair share and then some." A wry smirk graced his features as the conspirators all looked happy and smug.

Dooku disconnected and relaxed, disgust radiating from him. they would all get what they deserve indeed, he would ensure such, let them watch their plans crumble in the end of the war and the hum of a lightsaber coming for them with no escape. Let them believe Harry was behind the attacks, that should muddy the waters enough to add to the chaos. Grievous would sulk as normal, but the game would continue, even if Harry did keep moving the pieces around.

He glanced towards the droid standing in the shadows. The EG series were almost ready, maybe he should see how good Harry's design truly was. No assassin had even tried to attack him at his estate, the few off world never got close enough to even make the attempt. Harry's fascination on the droids was worrying, maybe he should organise something, try and increase his social circle, perhaps have him married.

Dooku raised an eyebrow at that, his gifts would likely be passed on to his children, strong in the force and capable of more. It would be a good method to reduce his interest in returning, it would also become a control mechanism on him. Dooku leant forwards, steepled fingers raised before him as he pondered the matter.

He seems close to senator Bonteri, perhaps a suitable nudge about how worried he was for the general, she could organise a few events with possible suitors. It was such a pity his nephew still lived, Harry would make an excellent Count Dooku in the future. Actually, that wasn't a bad idea.

Dooku allowed himself a smile as he imagined the look on Harrys face when he made such an offer, it would be amazing to see. A flash of darker thoughts ran through his mind. His master would not approve, he already wished the boy to be reduced, weaker. Dooku sat back and allowed a fragment of rebellion to grow in him, becoming heir will happen later, first a good marriage, then when he had become the master and harry the apprentice in truth, then he would become his heir. Then one day in the future, the banner of House Dooku will fly above every world in the galaxy, as it should be.

* * *

Hedwig looked at the report of the survey, he quickly highlighted the interesting areas, ancient ruins, breached tunnels under the surface, strange devices with energy signatures similar to the portkey arrays on their chassis, a large structure with extensive combat damage half buried in ice, a crashed sith empire vessel nearby.

Hedwig stopped, he opened that file and investigated further. Triggering comms, "Legion sixteen, you have a new assignment. I am providing you with equipment for your mission. You will travel to the following planetary coordinates, there you shall create a base camp. I have marked two points of nearby interest, you will secure both sites. I am attaching a squad of organics to investigate further."

"Site A is to be prepared for transport, ensure nothing is damaged beyond repair, Site B will become a command post for the planet. Construction droids are under the organics command. You have one hour to prepare."

Hedwig sent messages to the appropriate teams and to logistics to ensure supplies are sent as well. He then sent a message to the fleet following their path, "this world is to be blockaded defensively."

Another message headed to Coruscant. "James, I have found potential ruins that may give insight into our search. Acquire archaeologists who will be able to work with the Confederacy, send them to the attached location with the appropriate security passphrases." That should be waiting for him when he arrived, a small detour before he began his mission for father.

Hedwig updated the records and transmitted them to the Lily. Father would be happy. With a little time for himself, he opened his personal files and began to read gungan poetry as he listened to some of their music, "amazing."

* * *

Padme turned to Mina and smiled sadly, "Well, this is good-bye."

Mina reached out and took Padme's hands in her own. "I've been disappointed before, and yet, I almost feel as if this time the tide has turned in the war." She let go and pulled the hood up to hide Padme's face, "You should hurry." Turning to Ahsoka, "Goody-bye, young one."

Ahsoka nodded with respect to her as Lux stepped forward, looking her in the eye, "You really believe the Republic will vote for peace?"

Ahsoka looked down to the ground, thinking about the situation, "I hope so. I wouldn't want to meet you on the battlefield," she gave him a small smile, "for your sake."

Mina looked over at the ship, they had almost finished boarding their passengers, "Go you two, quickly."

From the side came Harry, this time dressed as General Jade would be expected to appear, "Ah Mina," he took her hand and kissed it, "beautiful as ever, Lux," he nodded at the teen with a smile, "and of course the beautiful ladies," he kissed both their hands, giving Lux a slight smirk at his frown. "I am glad to have caught you," his smile growing as the Jedi and senator froze at the wording. "I was afraid I would miss you," he smiled sadly at Mina, "I am afraid urgent business has arisen and I must leave immediately." He pulled Mina into a hug and whispered in her ear, "I saw a security agent heading this way, you'd best get ready to leave."

She nodded and smiled at him as they separated, taking Lux's hand he shook it, "now remember to keep an eye on your mother, make sure she keeps out of trouble for me, I know you had your heart set on following your father, but perhaps a small period in the senate would do you some good, maybe your mother knows of a vacancy for an assistant being available?"

Turning to Padme he continued, "Now, my dear, as always it is a pleasure to see you, you must keep in touch with me this time," hugging her, she froze in surprise. He whispered in her ear, "you know how to reach me if you need a way out."

Letting her go, he grabbed Ahsoka and hugged her as well, her eyes widened in panic at the act, but he whispered to her, "level one three nine six, northern senate district, there's an antiques dealer, a Gotal, he might just have the box you are looking for. Keep safe and remember the comms channel should you need help, it will be sent to me directly, no matter when or where. Keep safe, and remember, you are not alone."

Stepping back he picked up a parcel from the floor, "now, I've packed you a lunch, I hope you enjoy it, best run along, the ship is about to depart."

He smiled happily and waved at them as they hurried off. Then without breaking the image he muttered, "Lux, go visit some friends this evening, make sure it's public. Mina, I would recommend the new restaurant that opened recently, enjoy your evening, see a play, take your time. I've sent a few of my agents to clean up evidence of your guests. Everything should be fine on our side, you should be safe."

Mina turned to him, "why are you helping us Harry? You could have turned us in, captured them, a dozen other options quickly come to mind and you have done none of them."

He smiled at her, "it's purely selfish. On one hand there's a young Jedi out there who is finally starting to open her eyes to reality, on the other a sympathetic senator on our side should the war go horribly wrong. And the core of it is that I need the war to end one way or another. Every world scorched, every ancient ruin destroyed, every native populace forced away or slain is another possible clue for me to go home lost and gone."

He glanced over to Lux who was trying to look like he wasn't listening. "I know what it's like to grow up alone, I do not wish that on lux, keep safe, watch your backs and try and keep under the radar, you two are good friends to me, should something happen to you. I do not imagine it would be good for anyone else."

* * *

Darth Sidious stood, drink in hand in his office. "Well, well, well." He glanced at his vice chancellor, Mas Amedda, in amusement, "This is quite a stunning development."

Padme calmly explained her proposal, "Your excellency, we would be remiss, if not irresponsible, to reject the Separatists proposal."

Sidious nodded, "Of course."

She continued, "An end to the fighting, would mean there's no need to borrow money for more clones."

Sidious having lost his interest in his drink placed it on the protocol droids tray, "I can see why you would want so badly to believe that the separatists desire peace." He began walking Padme across his office to gain some space from Skywalkers apprentice, no need for the young man to learn of everything at the moment.

"I don't understand." Her confusion colouring her voice as she looked to the man who had once been her most trusted advisor before his rise through the ranks.

"In the past, whenever we've reached out our hands in peace, They've been slapped away." He put a tone of disappointment into his words, the wise advisor image in full force, "Can we believe that they're ready to sue for peace so easily?"

Padme leant into his personal space and quietly carried on, "If I might speak with you confidentially, I know that this is sincere."

Sidious frowned at her words, anger burning through his mind, what had the idiot girl gotten into now?

Padme, oblivious to the danger she was in carried on, furtive glances around the room. "I've been in contact with my old friend Mina Bonteri, and the origin of the proposal is with her."

"Bonteri? How was the dialogue established?" What in the name of the force was Dooku doing allowing this to occur? It appeared that his apprentice was definitely losing his touch, maybe it was time for new blood sooner than later. Or was Dooku planning on rising in station from Apprentice to Master.

"Does it matter, chancellor, if the result is an end to the war?"

"I see your point, my child." He touched her cheek with his fingers, the grandfather image now at work. With a smile and glance at Amedda, he continued, "Then we shall put the vote to the floor."

* * *

Harry looked at the beings before him in surprise and amusement.

Beolars Bribbs the President of Sullust and CEO of SoroSubb and Candobar Inglet, the Khedive of Sluis Van.

Beolars and Candobar looked at each other and Beolars motioned to his Sluissi ally as he examined the antiques displayed around the chamber.

Candobar bowed as low as his form would allow, "My Lord, I am here on two matters, one is a private matter between my people and yourself. The second is that I have been chosen to speak to you on behalf of a select group of important individuals within the Confederacy. If we may focus on the second for now?"

Harry frowned in confusion at the private matter, but waved a hand to signal his guest to continue.

"My thanks, a small group of likeminded individuals have gathered and discussed the future. Between us we have seen how things are likely to progress and have decided to adapt ahead of the curve. We are in accord and have decided to offer our allegiances to you directly before the Confederacy."

Harry raised an eyebrow and leant forward. "I believe you should explain yourself properly before anything untoward occurs." His guests thought they imagined that his eyes glowed with the anger and power pooling within him.

Candobar nodded, "of course my lord. Whilst the CIS was built on honourable ideals, we have watched as the same corruption that turned us from the Republic has festered within our ranks. Intimidation and bribery are becoming the norm once more, we may have a larger number of honourable senators than the republic, but we also have some of the richest factions within our numbers. Factions with a less than honourable history. My colleague and I lead the largest shipyards of the region between us, yet rather than put us to full use to defeat the republic, less than fifty per cent of our facilities are producing for the war, nearly forty per cent is being focused on random and useless components which are being shunted to other sites for recycling."

Harry interrupted, "What do you mean? I was informed that my requests for more ships have been delayed due to higher priority commitments. I had to shuffle around the entire southern fleet composition to get what I needed for my plans and you are telling me that someone is sabotaging the war effort?"

Beolars stepped in at this, "My lord, I have some of the finest droid factories available, I have the resources in storage to almost double the droid numbers in your campaign within a year. The orders I have received result in only enough new droids to replace our losses in all three campaigns as well as focus on other droid types such as cleaning droids or translation droids. My shipyards are as bad as my companions in the orders we have received. I must note that these orders are a collection of lesser orders sent by the CIS council, it is not a series of major commands, but months of purchase orders."

Candobar nodded in agreement and continued, "we were confused and began investigations. Nearly every one of those we have contacted has had similar problems. Then there is the funding, the CIS is haemorrhaging money. When does a hammer cost over fifty credits each? The money is being shunted around with great skill and care, we are still trying to find out where it went."

Beolars stepped forward, "and thus we come to you. We have watched as our agents investigated. You are honourable and believe in the ideals we were founded upon, we have also seen that you are as much of a victim as we are in this sabotage. We also believe that there is at least one agent within the council stealing immense amounts of funds and trying to lose the war in the republics favour."

Candobar nodded at his colleague's words, "indeed. We lack solid evidence but are working on it as we speak. But in order to prevent the CIS collapsing into a shattered alliance of bankrupt worlds, we have come to you to become our leader. If you accept our offer, we would dedicate our production to your demands whilst providing intelligence back to the senate and council that nothing has changed. We would track the missing funds and return them to the CIS. With your aid we will hunt down the rot within our own ranks and regain our strength. Then we can end the war."

Beolars motioned to a screen showing the galactic map and borders, "you have already expanded the territory held by the CIS, many of those worlds are now free of the republics tyranny, but they will all be victims once the CIS collapses under its debts. We do not have the forces you require to hold all of this territory either, not at current production capacity. If you agree to our offer, then you will have the resources you require, all we want is a leader who will either save the CIS or will rebuild from what remains when it dies. We want your name and authority supporting us in this."

Harry looked at his guests, his hand rubbing his chin in thought. "Like a phoenix from the ashes." He muttered to himself. He looked up at his guests, their worry easy enough to detect in the force, they were being honest with him in this. "If I agree, you will swear your fealty directly to me. You will inform your co-conspirators of my orders." At their nods he continued. "You will shift your production to support the war effort properly, incorrect information will be provided to the council and senate, all assets that are not on the books will be marked down as my personal forces. I want the missing funds found and transferred to our own accounts, hunt down the embezzlers and traitors, once they have been dealt with we can put the money back where it belongs. I want copies of all the evidence you have or will acquire about the traitors, I want a case that no-one can get out of when they are brought to justice."

The two looked at each other and nodded, Beolars bowed, "very well my lord, we find this agreeable, do you require a formal oath of fealty or do you wish to wait for the moment until more of us can gather?"

Harry smiled at them, "later will do nicely, gather your alliance and we shall hammer out the minor details properly. Now, if you will excuse us Beolars, Candobar mentioned something about a private matter."

Beolars nodded, "of course my lord, I shall speak with you again with more news."

Once Beolars had left the chamber, "Candobar bowed again, I have been asked to come before you and ask you a question, if you can answer it, then we have further matters to discuss, if not, then our business is complete for the moment."

Harry leant back in his chair, "go ahead, ask away."

Candobar coiled his tail and sat upon it, his hands raised in a manner similar to prayer. Then he lowered his eyes to the floor and began to speak parseltongue slowly and with great difficulty. " _King of All, this low one ponders if you understand these words?"_

Harry smiled at him in wonder and smoothly answered in parseltongue, " _indeed I do, now, I think we need to talk."_

* * *

Padme stood tall on her podium, her voice carrying to all present. "Given that the separatists have put a call for negotiations on the table, the need for additional troops seems ill-timed."

Bail Organa showed her his support by speaking alongside her, "which means there is no need to deregulate the banks."

Onacanda Farr stood, his voice joining the others in support, "I say we vote that down now."

Vice Chancellor Mas Amedda stood, the Speakers Staff in hand, "There is a move to vote on the proposed bill to lift regulations on the banking clan."

Lott Dod muttered to himself, "Dooku promised he would stop this vote." Anger and panic filling him, Senator Amidala had enough support with Organa's help to take a good third of the senate at minimum. His faction held about a quarter for this vote, he had not been lobbying and bribing to his usual standards due to his belief Dooku would prevent it.

Amedda continued, "You may enter your vote."

A portion of the senate voted immediately, others pondered the best course of action to take. What would be the best thing to do? Many were torn in their choices between what the best course of action would be, many of those who's worlds were in the war fronts let their fear guide them.

Suddenly the lights failed across the chamber, plunging the chamber into darkness, the emergency lighting springing to life in its dull red glow. Muttering quickly became demands for answers, bodyguards moved to protect their charges.

Orn Free Taa, paranoia and fear rising with the threats on his life cried out "We're under attack!" His panic quickly spreading through the senate.

The debaters all rushed to return their podiums to the safety of the walls. Cries of alarm and fear echoing around the chamber.

* * *

Candobar slithered next to Harry as they walked in the gardens, Parseltongue coming more smoothly to him as he spoke more of it. " _King of All, this low one is as if full of prey at the image of finding you."_

Harry smiled, " _I imagine that very few speak this language amongst your people."_

Candobar nodded, " _once all spoke this tongue, now it is secret to priests only. Our most sacred knowledge woven into the words. We have searched for many… clutches to find King of All. Born of the Golden Egg, with eyes like grass, a crest of black and a mark of burning heavens. His presence strong and gifts powerful. A few have come before who appear to match the descriptions but none have answered the question before today."_

Harry winced at the description, " _and now you've found me?"_

" _We are yours. Your words law. The Moon Goddess spoke many tales of the King of All. Of these two would interest you, the Tale of the Chains of Night as well as the Tale of Nesting in the Burnt Lands."_

Harry stopped and looked at Candobar, " _tell me of them_."

Candobar bowed low, " _I cannot do as you ask, I know not the full tales, only that which the priests have given to us. But I can call priests, summon them to the King of All, they can then speak the full tales as King desires."_

Harry nodded, _"summon them, I shall leave a ship at Belsavis to bring them to me wherever I am on the front. I shall hear these tales then."_

Candobar bowed once more, _"as you command King of All, I shall deliver your words directly."_

* * *

As alarms echoed across the city, fires burned as entire areas collapsed to anarchy, some from accidents and others as arson. Without the power, the fire services were having trouble stopping the fire spreading.

An entire district was now structurally unstable due to the power generators explosion and collapse beneath it, people fled their homes in fear. The surrounding districts also began to evacuate at the rumbles and groans coming from the levels below their feet.

Within the red lit senate chamber, Gume Saam angrily declared to all there, "The bombing of the power Generator has been confirmed as a separatist attack. They must pay for what they have done."

Padme, called out, "But it was the separatist senate that issued the bill of peace." Confusion in her words.

Amedda interjected, "Obviously a tactic to lower our defences and launch this attack."

Padme's "No." caught the attention of many senators, she could imagine the questions, was she a spy, a separatist conspirator maintaining her image of loyalty? Fear twisting their thoughts due to the shock of Coruscant coming under attack. Her tone of desperation in her next sentence, "That's not true." weakened the image of her purposeful treachery, but the seeds of doubt had been sown.

Halle Burtoni smirked and croaked from her podium, "I move to immediately deregulate the banks."

Other senators followed, each calling for action. A low rumble of discontent echoed through the senate chamber, fuelled by their fear and anger at being unable to do anything about it.

Sidious took a deep breath, the emotions of the senate like a rich vintage to him. He stood, strong, proud and sure, his voice carried over the others still talking, silencing them, "I'm afraid we have been given little choice. To insure the safety of the Republic, We must deregulate the banks." A raised and clenched fist was used to show his strong belief and intent behind his words.

His pleasure at the flow of events was hidden from all others, the timing of the attack could not have gone better, Dooku's doubters have been swayed to trust in his words, the republic was crippling itself and the Jedi were so bogged down in the war that they could not see as he nudged things here and there for his own ends. Life was good.

Padme sat as the strength left her, her head in her hands. She held back the tears as the plan to end the war peacefully shatter around her.

Ahsoka watched and could do nothing as she felt the hope in Padme fade and crumble.

* * *

Padme and Ahsoka walked through the red lit corridors, ahead of them stood Anakin, at the sight of them he finished his conversation with a mon calamari Jedi before turning to them with his arms crossed. His figure rigid with subdued annoyance.

Padme sighed as she joined him, "I'm returning your padawan."

Anakin looked at her gently then turned to his padawan, "I'm sorry your talks with Bonteri failed."

Ahsoka was surprised at that comment, "How did you know?"

"We have eyes and ears everywhere, Ahsoka." His disapproval was clear to any who would look at their conversation. "That was dangerous and careless, going to Raxus," he turned to Padme, "Not to mention illegal." Looking at them both, "You went too far this time."

With that he began to walk away.

Ahsoka hurried to his right side as Padme quietly joined him on his left. "You would do the same. You do the same all the time." Frustration and annoyance rose in her words at her Masters attitude.

Anakin sighed but in a much more gentle but still firm tone, "This was too much. Do you realise the danger you were in? if you had been caught…" worry clouded his eyes as he trailed off.

Ahsoka nodded and watched the floor as she thought it through, "Maybe so. But it was worth the risk, and I did realize something. The politics of this war, it's all greys, not the black and white I used to think it was. Are we really the good guys here?"

Anakin glanced at her face beside him, worry wormed inside him at her words, "Of course we're the good guys Ahsoka, how could you imagine otherwise?"

* * *

Harry arrived at the pirate station and smiled at the feast made in his honour.

Looking over to Xora he noticed she had relaxed slightly but was still unsure of him. "I've read your reports, you have done well in my service." He swirled his wine in thought for a moment, "I wish to alter our agreement slightly."

She focused her entire attention on him, waving a dismissal at her servants, "leave us. How may I serve you my lord?"

Harry narrowed his eyes at her, but felt she was being completely sincere in her words. "I would appreciate your assistance in a matter. Should you accept the new posting you will need to assign a new handler for our agents, you will then travel with me as my advisor. This will make you a more public figure, but you will retain your wealth and previous deals. In fact you will gain more."

She smiled at him, but it never reached her eyes. "I presume that this is a long term shift of my position, I also presume that I will need to be on hand at all hours. Might I ask the reason?"

Harry smirked, "only if you agree to my offer."

She tapped the lip of her glass for a minute as she thought through things. "I will accept on a few provisos. One I am not to be a bed warmer, you will not force or command me to submit in such a fashion."

At Harry's look of disgust at the idea she frowned, with a pout and hurt look. "Do I disgust you that much my lord?"

Harry looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "it was the idea not you yourself, I will never do such a thing, I find the concept abhorrent."

She smiled at him with a seductive look, "oh I'm sure I could sway your mind on the issue."

Harry chuckled. "I will clarify matters, I find you most attractive, have no fear on that matter, and I distinctly have an interest in certain matters, it was the idea of forcing myself on someone. That was what upset me."

She sat back at his explanation, calm and cool once more. "Ah, then it could be something to discuss at a later time. Back to business?"

At his wave of a hand she continued with a smile, "two if I am an advisor I will be giving advice and you will listen to it. Three, the salary for my replacement will come from your coffers, not mine. those are the basics, the rest we can discuss as matters occur."

Harry took a deep breath and released it. "I agree to your requests. Make sure that you have your replacement ready and active by the time I leave as you will be joining me."

He took a sip of his wine, "now, as for why I require your personal presence. I believe that I have been… tainted and as such am not completely in my right mind. I find this unacceptable. Should you hear certain words being used or my actions seem out of character, I am allowing you to distract me with your pheromones, I will snap free in a very short time, however the jolt to my awareness should mean that I would take back full control of myself. I may be angry for a moment, but I will realise why you are doing it and quickly calm. In exchange you will become aware of certain matters I keep from others, I would be most upset for others to discover such information." His eyes bored into hers, promising immense pain if she ignored that advice.

Suddenly he smiled once more, "now, how long do you require to be ready to leave?"

She smiled at him in return, "luckily for you I am used to travelling light and moving quickly. Give me twelve hours and we should be able to get you back to work."

Harry chuckled and waited for her to take a sip before saluted her with his glass, "to conquering the galaxy."

Her choked response as she swallowed a mouth of wine and wide eyes staring at him in shock made him laugh out loud at her. "Oh, my dear Xora, you have no idea."

* * *

Ahsoka sat in deep meditation within the Tranquillity Spire. She pondered what she had recently learnt and seen. Sighing as her confusion at the right thing to do refused to leave her, she tried to feel what the force wanted her to do.

She kept hearing the faintest whispers of a melody at the edge of her senses. A soft lullaby with a core of melancholy. Giving up on her attempts at meditation she began to wander the halls, letting her feet take her where they will.

An hour later she found herself at the gates of the temple, surprised at her location, she looked around.

There amongst the crowds, glimpses of hate at the Jedi guards in their regalia, mutters of anger and discontent caught on the edge of her hearing, but as she tried to listen into their words she heard the lullaby once more, hummed by a young mother as she tried to calm her child as she walked past. Ahsoka blinked and began to follow the woman, soon losing her in the crowd, then another snippet of it to her right, an old rodian carrying a box walked towards a lift. Following the song she soon found herself lost.

She followed the fragments, quickly finding a new piece as someone passed her once she lost the previous source, until finally she found herself in the senate district.

No new fragments came to her, now alone and left to herself, her mind wandered and she remembered Jade's description. Within ten minutes, she saw it at the end of the street, the antiques shop, a small and dark place hidden between two much grander and imposing stores.

Now she just had to decide to follow her instincts or go back to the temple and forget about everything.

* * *

Harry was once more above Belsavis, updating his memory of his forces deployment. Looking over his map, he smiled. Six more ships had already been completed and assigned to his service, only two of them on official records, the shipyards had already been getting ahead of schedule before the meeting with Candobar and Beolars.

He quickly wrote their orders and transferred them to a front he had wanted to include in his original plans but couldn't afford to send any ships. Adding a further six from his own forces, he could absorb the loss and the new fleet could do with the veterans on hand. He signed the transfer of a young Sluissi captain with potential and gave them command of his fourth fleet with a field promotion to be confirmed dependant on his success. Quickly marking his targets and authorising him to transfer four of his peers he could trust to handle the difficult mission, he transmitted the message.

He looked over at an icon, no messages, James should already be on Coruscant, he was either about to or already had entered the Jedi Temple. It would take time, he must be patient.

With a sigh he glanced at Xora who was watching the planet below and the fleet above it in awe. He had to admit, she looked very nice in uniform.

She turned to look at him, "I knew you were powerful, but this. This is much more than I thought. Your joke about ruling the galaxy isn't much of a joke is it?"

He chuckled, "and strangely I don't want it." His eyes narrowed on her for a moment, then he relaxed, "I could probably do it, I might even live long enough to see the end, but it would mean nothing to me. Plus the paperwork would be soul destroying."

Xora looked at him like he was mad. "You are a very strange being. Now, you said I would need to know things, so it would be best if you began at the beginning, then I will be able to help you more. What's your story, your real story?"

"An interesting choice of words, my story. You could fill books with it I think." He walked from the maps and sat on his chair, he pointed his hand towards another chair, "Sit. This will take a while, I ask that you hold off with any questions until the end." He drew his wand and conjured a set of paper and a pen for her. Her eyes wide in shock at what he had done.

As she sat there looking at the pen and paper with awe, "Remember, questions at the end. So are you ready?" At her jerky nod, he smiled wistfully, "Now, how does it start? Beginnings are so important. Once upon a time there was a little boy called Harry Potter, and because he knew nothing better, his first home was the cupboard under the stairs, he was treated as a slave by his cousin, aunt and uncle. But one day that all changed…"

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Reviews:**

Neon1311: Harry has realised something is wrong, he just doesn't know what it is.

Potterfanforever: the Jedi do have a hidden collection of Sith holocron's, but I believe they are hidden within the holocron vault itself. James does not have the capability to access the vault normally, not that he won't give it a try if he believes there is something of interest in there. But he will need a force user to activate the holocron's.

Thorndsword: Sorry to hear that you are not enjoying the story any more. Thank you for the good luck.

Arturus: thank you, glad you are enjoying it.

BioHazard82: Thank you.

Starboy454: His skill and knowledge of the force will remain, he experienced it all. Lightsabers are merely a matter of time for him to produce with useable materials to work from, earth can do that, the power source will be more awkward but he can always cheat with that part. Armour wise, with some Sith alchemy and money he can have that back pretty easily. As a note in regards to the droids being in stasis, Harry is from their ancient past, not the other way around.

Arashi – IV of VI: Thank you.

Shugokage: Thank you.

Ksecc1: Harry is in his future, the other horcruxes were destroyed ages ago leaving only his scar. Dumbledore and Harry's friends destroyed the others before they did some last straw attempts to defeat Voldemort. I'm glad you are enjoying the story.

Alex2909: Another in a long line of attempts, more still to come though :)

Beloved Daughter: As I see it from the films and the cartoons, Palpatine used propaganda and a few nudges here and there whilst guiding both sides of the conflict as he wished. The Jedi were too blinded by their own views to realise they were being used and the public's image shifted from guardians and peacekeepers to generals and warmongers. Order 66 was a plan just in case the Jedi turned against the republic, Order 65 was similar for the senate to call upon if the chancellor became unfit to lead. Palpatine put these orders in place with the end of the Jedi in mind. He knew they would discover his actions as a Sith Lord and predicted how they would act. Know thy enemy.

Indecisive Bob: Thank you. Harry's mental state is going to lead to at least two major fights, I hope you enjoy them.

Davycrockett100: Thank you.

Stallion6 of Deviantart: Harry is not at Dooku's skill level, but he can cheat to change the rules. Apparition is something no-one else can do.

Ranmaleopard: glad to hear that you are still enjoying the story.

Lord of Carrion: Sidious will not be happy at all, Harry has basically taken the plan, shrugged, chucked it over his shoulder and started his own one. Eriadu is an important world on the outer rim of the galaxy, there are many more targets between there and Kuat, so that will take time. The loss of the Eighteenth army's base is indeed a massive blow to the morale of the republic, many worlds that are neutral will shift due to the battle there and a number of republic worlds will become neutral in an attempt to avoid a similar fate. Harry knows something is wrong, he doesn't know what it is, but he wants rid of it. Ulmec was a bit character who was too overconfident and paid for it. But his death is another strike against the Jedi, the region is starting to see them as terrorists and assassins, all bonuses to Harry's plans. Ventress and Grievous are now suddenly much more aware of the problem, they'll let someone else take the risk and mop up afterwards claiming the glory. The clones are not only being produced on Kamino, I believe a large number are made elsewhere but are inferior to their older brothers. Harry believes Kamino to be too heavily guarded to risk assaulting for the moment, he can't take the risk of failing. So he's using attrition and damaging his opponents supply chain to give him the edges he believes he needs. When he has better intel, then he can make more appropriate plans.

Lycan01: Thank you.

Red Demon161: The scale of Harry's plans are much bigger than the republic currently believes, that will be shown through Mace Windu in chapter 15.

Daemonbarber: Thank you. I'm glad I am, some point soon I'll start releasing my other stories, they aren't as advanced as this one yet.

Mangahero18: Thanks, I hope I manage to do it justice.

Fireball900: Thank you for that. They are growing beyond their original limits, however harry forgot the thing about children and weapons, after all at the age of 11 he was given a lethal weapon and told how to use it without really explaining the dangers. Thanks for all the comments. As for Dooku's problem with Harry's efficiency, he knows Sidious' plan, no-one told harry about it, not that he'd agree with it if he knew it.


	15. The Fractures of Faith

**Chapter 15 – the fractures of faith**

Harry dropped the datapad with the message on it to the floor. One of his few friends was gone, the peace negotiations begun in her name are gone. Lux's message was short but simple, he could almost hear the tear stained anger in the words, "the republic sent assassins, make them pay for her death."

Dooku's message was cold and simple, his background and duties would allow nothing more. But even he knew how fond Harry had been of Mina Bonteri. She knew his real name, one of three, now four. He shuddered for a moment, now once more three.

Emotionally drained from bringing Xora up to date with everything she needed to know, memories long sealed away of the last time he saw Hermione came rushing back. What would he have done if she had died? How far would he have gone to avenge her? Didn't Mina deserve at least a little of that.

He let his anger and rage boil within, let it merge with his magic and bring it just beneath his skin. Then he forced it down, not yet. First he needed to find out who the assassin was, then who hired them, someone in the republic would know.

He snarled as he pressed the button for his comms. "Anhur, Maahes, Heka, I have a mission for you."

* * *

Padme sat following her meeting with the banking clans, she looked out the window wondering how Lux was dealing with it, not well at all she imagined. Then the image of General Jade hugging Mina, actually looking his age for the first time, following this came memories of the first time she had met him on the malevolence. With wide eyes she scrambled for her comms.

"Come on, come on, answer damn you."

"Padme? I'm a little busy right now, what's the matter."

"Ani, I need you to listen to me, this is important. I need to know where General Jade was last seen."

"Padme, I really can't tell you military information like that…"

"Ani, Senator Mina Bonteri was just assassinated; Count Dooku is claiming it was the republic."

"And? We know he's lying."

"Anakin, Mina was a good friend of the general, what do you think he's going to do? It's likely he has already been told, you remember him explaining how close he is to Dooku and its likely Dooku told him before he sent the message to the senate. From the conversation I had with him at dinner at Mina's he was willing to follow her wishes on the war and attempting to organise a peace treaty between the separatists and the neutral systems, he has been holding back."

Silence covered the comms for a few seconds. "I'll tell the council, no-one's seen him for a while, there's extensive pushes in the southern regions, it's likely he's there with Grievous and Ventress in command of the north and eastern fronts. I want you to be careful, force help us if he thinks you were involved. I need to go, keep safe."

She managed to tell him, "you too", before the line was cut.

* * *

Pre Vizsla sat at his desk looking at the reports, "Dooku is doing nothing, he just placates us with his plans and a few supplies. Grievous is too busy hunting Jedi and playing with them. But this Jade. He hammers his foes, is dangerous but honourable, a warrior spirit." He pushed a datapad across the desk. "That's everything we have on him, practically nothing, he just appeared from nowhere approximately three years ago. Dooku has a personal interest in him, but has not claimed him to be a relation. His words and deeds are impressive. On top of all that he recently survived an assassination attempt from three of the Ragnar syndicates best, no small feat in itself."

He sat back and looked at his second. "Dooku is just words, this Jade may actually do something in aiding us. Take your owls and see about an alliance, I'm tired of waiting."

* * *

Darth Sidious raised the hood of his cloak, the ripples of his apprentice's playthings were spoiling more plans than were acceptable. This would need to be stopped now, before they grew above their stations. At least Grievous was already muzzled. General Jade would follow orders, his final days were coming closer but could wait, an appropriate agent was being prepared to deal with him, time to deal with the wildcard first.

The comms network had finished prepping the bounce, a dozen separate networks on Coruscant would gain a two millisecond lag, then the signal would collect together and cover sixteen systems this time, enough to throw any tracker from his trail.

A chime informed him that the link had been activated and he looked down on the image of his kneeling apprentice.

"Lord Tyranus." He kept his tone calm and controlled, no need to give a warning to his apprentice.

Dooku lowered his head further and drawled, "My master."

"There is a disturbance in the force. Your assassin," at this Dooku's head raised, curiosity shown by a raised eyebrow, "she has become very powerful."

"Yes, my lord." A measure of pride in his words, even with her failures. "She is quite important to me…" he imagined that Harry's accomplishments were hers, he needed to make his master believe that Ventress was his real apprentice, not Harry, never Harry.

"Too important." A heavy emphasis on the first word as he cut into whatever his apprentice was about to say, his eyes narrowed at Dooku's response.

Dooku grew agitated, defensive of her, "Master…"

"Silence." The word snapped across the network, punching through his apprentices words. "I can sense her powers growing stronger." His tone turned disappointed, regret in his words. "I would hate to think you are training your own Sith apprentice to destroy me. Especially after our last conversation on such matters."

Dooku's fear fled behind his mask, the loyalty and devotion expected of him strong in his calm features. "Never." A strong declaration, he touched his chest with his hand before motioning to Sidious, "My allegiance is to you and you alone." His head bowed in submission.

Sidious internally smirked, "Then you must prove it. Eliminate her."

Dooku once again jumped to her defence, "She's my most…"

"I said eliminate her!" Sidious demanded, anger in his words.

A frown marred Dooku's features before he bowed his head and followed his orders, "As you wish, my lord." A slight tone of rebellion still in his words.

"Your menagerie is getting out of hand Tyranus, do not make me cull it any further." He cut the comms before anything further could happen. He snarled at the transmitter and walked back to his rooms, placing the cloak on a stand he adjusted his robes. He took a few moments to gather himself.

A beep called for his attention. Leaving his rooms he saw his guest had arrived, "Ah, Crueya Vandron, are you ready for the opera? We have so much to discuss whilst we have a few moments."

* * *

Ahsoka stood in the entrance of the antiques shop, a wide range of exotic objects displayed all around. She only had a little time before her master would be ready to leave and return to the front. He hadn't called her yet but she knew it would be soon.

The droid at the desk bowed to her as she entered, an antique itself, at least a few centuries old, but well maintained and cared for. "Welcome honoured customer, how may this humble unit serve you today?"

"I was informed that you may be able to help me."

The droid waved an arm to draw her attention to the shelves and displays. "Please, what is it you desire? I am sure we have something to your tastes, if not, we will endeavour to acquire it for you."

Ahsoka took a deep breath and gathered her courage. "I am looking for a box, it will be unusual and distinct."

The droid tapped its chin in a rather human mannerism, "I would require more information to progress further, we have many boxes."

"I don't know what it looks like or what it was made of," thinking quickly she continued, "it's likely to have been something connected to old force related groups."

"I apologise honoured customer, we stock nothing like that. Nor would we be able to acquire something like it for you. Current restrictions imposed by the Senate and Jedi Council prevent such items being available." It quickly bowed again and began herding her towards the exit.

Ahsoka frowned at the shift in the droids tone, the humble and calm tones shifting to almost… agitated and nervous. Taking a gamble she continued. "I was told that you would be able to assist me on my search."

The droid stopped, a slightly menacing tone to its words now, "and who sent you to us?"

She looked straight into its sensors, "General Evan Jade."

The droid stepped back, "This way, you need to speak with my master directly." It turned and walked to the back of the shop, it motioned to one side and Ahsoka was surprised to see three ancient war droids moving back into alcoves. Had a fight started she would likely have won, but she wouldn't have gotten away unscathed.

They entered an ancient lift with took them down two levels before stopping part way towards a third. The droid left the lift and led her to a large warehouse hidden between the levels. A series of ancient droids were hard at work moving items around, some unpacking, others packing various items. A few Gotals were wandering around giving orders and examining new items. The droid stopped at a set of stairs leading up, "my master will see you, please go ahead." It then returned back towards the lift.

She nervously climbed the stairs to enter a rather nice office, the wall opposite was an ancient computer and data bank, the wall to her left was a large set of windows overlooking the warehouse. Opposite was a large set of bookshelves, covered in ancient books. An elderly gotal in a very expensive suit stood from behind his desk as she entered, the bookshelves behind him giving him the air of a scholar.

In a slightly wheezy voice he motioned to a chair before his desk, "please Padawan Tano, have a seat." At her blink of surprise, he chuckled. "Do not worry, I watch the propaganda and have seen you beside your master, in addition I had you checked as you were brought to meet me. I don't want to make a mistake on who I'm dealing with would I? it would be terrible for business."

As she sat, she saw him press a button and the windows tinted darker and she felt a slight hum to the air.

"My apologies, but I imagine you would prefer privacy for our discussion. Now, what is it you are searching for again?"

She stared at him for a moment, obviously uncomfortable at her position. "A box, something to do with Jedi but is not commonly known about."

He nodded at that, "and you were sent to us by Evan Jade?"

"He told me how to find you and gave me the information I have provided you."

"Hmm, as odd as it is for him to tell a Jedi about us, he is a valued customer. Very well, I believe the box you are looking for is a holocron. He did not give you a name, thus I imagine he wanted you to acquire one without a gatekeeper, how interesting." His old eyes focused on her, it felt like he was examining her thoroughly. "I believe we can do business and provide you with the item you seek, however there is the matter of payment."

She cringed at that, "What will it cost?"

He waved a hand at her in dismissal, "oh nothing much, a favour from yourself to us would be enough. If you win the war you will rise high amongst the ranks of the Jedi, then it will be a valuable commodity, if the republic loses and the confederacy wins, then you are likely to escape and continue to fight, your skills then would be most useful to our work. If Jade wins, then you will have a powerful protector and again you will be most valuable."

At her frown and slight anger on display at his words. "Calm yourself girl, you do not intimidate me, I have dealt with much bigger fish than you and they have many more teeth as well. You have a choice, find your answers in exchange for a favour, or leave and forget we exist. I care not either way, you cannot afford the item with cash or goods, you do not have that kind of funding without being noticed, you have nothing of similar value to exchange, nor am I interested in you physically. No the only thing you have left to offer is a future service."

"And if I were to report you to the authorities?"

With a calm and almost bored tone, "nothing would happen. According to the records I have done nothing wrong, my contacts and benefactors would protect me and business will carry on as usual, the only thing you would have done is annoy me. That I shall warn you is not a healthy thing to do."

She sat there and stared at him with distrust for a moment thinking things through. Damn her curiosity. "Okay, I know I'm going to regret this, but I accept your offer."

The Gotal smiled and stood, he moved over to a set of shelves and hid his actions with his body, she felt the book being moved thanks to her echolocation and the force, but when a hidden door opened, the pressure hit her, she felt like she was drowning in the force.

The gotal glanced at her and frowned at her reaction before quickly entered the room and returned sealing the door behind him, less than twenty seconds it had taken but it felt like she had been trying to breath for hours.

"My apologies for that, I did not believe that you would react so strongly." He placed a finely carved wooden puzzle box before her. He motioned to it as he sat. "within that is the item you want, the first test to see if you are worthy is to actually reach it, after that, I know not. But you had best leave immediately, one of my sons will show you out."

With the dismissal she stood taking the box in one hand as the gotal opened a book and placed small glasses on and began to read, taking notes on a datapad to the side.

As Ahsoka returned to the temple she pondered the details she had learnt. Why was Evan Jade so focused on antiques and history, what was he looking for? And what did the gotal mean if Jade won?

* * *

"Sir! We're entering the Q'mara system."

Harry watched from his position at the centre of the bridge. "Ahead full, everything in space is to be destroyed, don't worry about chasing these ones. Secure orbital dominance, prepare a legion for deployment."

He sat back for a moment as he seemed to doodle on a datapad.

Xora stood next to him, "watching him, won't they resist?"

Harry looked up at her and chuckled, "they always resist, but not for long." He sighed, "this system is a gateway to the sector, it's a melting pot for smugglers and criminals. Few if any ships here are worth worrying about and a single legion is overkill for securing the planet." He showed her his datapad a map of the Juvex sector displayed with numbers written next to the system names.

"What's this?"

"That's the order in which I will conquer this sector. The various markings denote my plans for locations."

Xora looked at him in wonder, "how long? how long have you planned for this?"

Harry smirked at her before returning to watch the screens. "The broad strokes, two years, details, when I gained your services. The urge to make them fear my name." He paused and took a deep breath, "when a woman who had done nothing wrong was murdered and her dream destroyed. They have no concept of what has been unleashed, but they will."

* * *

The Jedi High Council stood in the war room looking at the galaxy map before them. Many of them confused as to why they had been summoned.

Master Windu stood at the head of the table, a frown marring his features as he input the latest reports. "Let us begin, I have had a recent discussion with Skywalker, he has brought something important to our attention before he left to join Master Kenobi on the eastern front. I have gathered a series of reports, all minor things but together show a series of events that are much greater than we expect."

With a few commands a map of the galaxy floated at the centre of the chamber. Colours began to spread and fill regions. "Currently the holo is displaying our current positions in the war. Now, I have included recent battles and fleet positions known. As you can see, there's been a recent build up in fleet numbers of the separatists. Our agents have reported that the separatist conflicts of the galactic south are under the command of General Evan Jade."

A few murmurs carried around the room at that, most had read the reports they had on the young general. Windu triggered the next overlay.

"This overlay shows a rather disturbing trend. We have a communications blackout in the region, system after system is going quiet, and we have not noticed. As you can see we have four sudden expansions." As he pointed to each sector and world they were highlighted for easier viewing.

"In the fifteenth army sector, we have the following, Kirdo, Cotellier, Svivren, Suarbi. The next likely targets are Orto Plutonia or Vohal. We also have extensive pirate activity around Lok and Socorro with new reports of activity escalating towards Reuss."

"In the seventeenth army sector we have the following, Haruun Kal, ZeHeth, Malastare with scouts at Umgul, the next link along that chain is either Nerrif or Naboo. Vogel has been left alone so far, our forces are gathering there as we speak to support Malastare. However we have reports of heraldry on the separatist vessels, it appears Admiral Trench has returned to Malastare, reports of his death at Christophsis were exaggerated. In addition to that the Dug senator is making rather loud and unhappy noises about the Zillo Beast being alive when he was informed of its death in order to seal the treaty."

"The eighteenth army sector. Agomar after a reported republic victory, the Master Gallia issue has not helped in public opinion, but we are still investigating what occurred. Following Agomar is Eriadu the sector stronghold, Tibrin, Belsavis and Dolla, we are expecting an advance through the Senex-Juvex sectors. The sector fleet was at Eriadu for replenishing their fighter stocks and minor repairs when the strike happened. The remnants of the fleet retreated to Dolla and were again assaulted whilst undergoing further repairs, we lost most of the fleet that remained at that point."

"Finally the nineteenth army sector. Nothoiin, Gerrenthum, Lutrillia, Bespin, scouts have been spotted around Hoth and near Vassek. They are likely waiting for reinforcements before moving on Javin which is that sectors stronghold. There are reports of Sev'rance Tann being in command of that front, apparently she survived her last encounter with Jedi."

"Each of these alone would be easy enough to handle, our fleets would be able to support each other, however the multiple attacks has prevented that from happening and each section is dealing with their own threats. The separatist's co-ordination and ability to predict our movement has resulted in them bleeding the fleets with few loses of their own. He frowned as he looked over his audience as they processed the information.

"As if that was not enough we have more problems. Nearly every B1 droid in the southern conflicts has had an upgrade. The separatists are installing something called the JEP, the Jade Enhancement Package. Luckily no sign of this upgrade has appeared in the eastern and northern campaigns at this time. Tales of conflict between Grievous and Jade appear to be more than mere rumour."

He triggered another image, a recording of the upgraded droids in combat with clone troopers. "This upgrade has increased the combat effectiveness of the B1's to a point that they are individually comparable to new clone troopers, luckily our veterans are better skilled and are worth at least two of their upgraded droids. However, the change in combat has thrown our troops and the increase in enemy effectiveness has hampered morale. Never mind the problem of troop number disparity, they have at least five droids for each clone trooper we have dedicated to the southern campaign."

Another image appeared with a B1 with different colours and strange heraldry. "General Jade's personal troops appear to be equipped with stealth equipment and shield generators as standard. Any attempts to capture a sample of this programming have failed, there appears to be a subtle self-destruct code within the program, it deletes the entire device it is in after it has spread itself into attached systems as well, repeating its actions there, we lost an entire research vessel in our attempts. Bulkheads and airlocks opened, forcefields failed and the reactor went critical, all in less than five minutes of downloading the programming."

He motioned now to datapads on a table to one side of the room. "I have included all this information and more in the reports you all have. I believe that this man is a credible threat and a major one at that, as such I am authorising a dedicated strike team to cut the head from this serpent and quite possibly shift the course of the southern conflict."

He looked each of the masters in the eyes as he spoke the next part. "I am looking for recommendations for the strike team's membership."

A beep demanded his attention as his peers discussed the matter, clearing the holo-emitter he opened the comm channel.

"Master Jedi, we have received a message from a known pirate and smuggler. He claims to have a Knight Rees Alrix on board his ship, she is heavily wounded and in a self-induced coma, I can send them to a medical centre or do you wish me to allow him clearance to land at the temple?"

"Authorise their clearance," he stroked his chin in thought, "lock down their ship and put them under house arrest until we can decide what to do with the pirates."

* * *

Master Bridger stood at the bar, serving drinks, chuckling with the civilians who had finished their shifts. Running a bar gave him access to so much information and contacts. With Alrix gone and now that Madorin couldn't do anything without drawing swift attention due to his face being on wanted posters with a reward for information leading to his arrest, he was left in charge. Bounty hunters had started hunting the resistance and a few of them he recognised as being very competent from the reports he'd seen at the temple. The clones had become the core of freedom fighters defending the world, trying to gain support and drive off the conqueror's. Unfortunately it appeared that Ulmec's successor was a much better governor, he was seen to actually help, food was distributed through a ration system for those who registered as citizens of Eriadu.

The lawmen at the end of the bar had been complaining about crackdowns in corruption, a captain had been arrested and was awaiting trial. The Tarkin's were under house arrest for the duration of the war, but their property and funds had not been taken from them, nor had other nobles lost anything. The only ones to do so were the obviously corrupt individuals, their resources and estates being confiscated and turned to better use. One manor in the nicer areas of the planet had become an orphanage.

All these good works were making it much harder to win the public's support; they were making the republic look bad with their benevolence. Soon people would be wondering why they would want to go back. Bridger sometimes wondered himself in his weaker moments.

Madorin's assault on the governor's palace had, in the end, not helped, nor had his following actions. He was starting to get erratic, his plans more extreme, soon he would do something stupid and Bridger would not be able to save him.

His musings came to an abrupt halt, there in the entrance to his cantina was one of the black robes with a squad of B1's. These had the red and gold paintwork with the golden feline.

Silence fell as the black robe moved through the crowd. Once beside the bar he turned and addressed his audience. His voice was calm and powerful, easily cutting through the mutters and clear to all who heard it. "I, am Torin of the Vigiles, I am here as a servant of the law for the arrest of Klim Haesh." At this an individual at the back ran for the back exit. Torin continued as if nothing was wrong, "he is wanted for theft, burglary, rape and murder. Please do not interfere in our work."

As Klim reached the back entrance it burst open and two more of the droids stood there, they both raised their rifles with disturbing speed and stunned him. Quickly they put his belongings in a clear plastic sack and manacled him before they carried him out and entered their vehicle.

Torin looked around, watching the customers for any trouble before nodding. He turned to the bar and quietly began to speak. "Master Waldan Bridger please be aware that you are under surveillance by General Jade's Security Forces."

Bridger froze at that and thought of how to escape.

"We currently have no interest in you, you have broken no laws, committed no crimes directly. You are being warned as we do not want you to do anything stupid and cause loss of civilian life. I would recommend informing your friends that you are not the only one being watched," he pulled a pouch from within his robes and hefted it looking at the wrecked back door, "within is an ID card with your registration as a citizen of Eriadu, I recommend visiting a Vigiles station to update your records." He dropped the pouch on the bar. Louder than before he continued, "This is for the damages and the loss of business we caused, have a good day citizen." With a slight nod he left.

Bridger picked up the pouch and put it to a side, things began to pick back up after a few minutes and he checked the ID, it was a real card and had the false name he was currently using on it.

What was he supposed to do now? He sighed as he realised something, madorin was going to explode.

* * *

The fighters crashed in the launch bay, kenobi's had spun around to avoid hitting the wall, Ventress was less lucky. Her head buzzed and rang from the impact. Thankfully, her comms were working, opening the connection her master's image appeared.

"Master, I need your help quickly." Glancing outside the pod, she saw Skywalker helping Kenobi from his crashed fighter. "I'm surrounded."

"You have already lost the battle, child. I've ordered your reinforcements to return."

"No." panic set in, she was so close to being his true apprentice, her anger and frustration fuelled her, looking to her masters image with strong intensity, "I will destroy the Jedi. I'll show you."

With slow disappointment burning her ears, "You have failed me for the last time. You are no longer my apprentice." His voice cold and calm informed her, "And now you shall die", to him it was a fact.

Her eyes widened in fear at the words, why? She had done everything he had asked of her, why did he cast her aside? Fury burned, jade, it was all jades fault, poisoning her master's mind against her.

She opened the cockpit and climbed out to face her enemies, these at least she could do something about. Clutching her cracked ribs with her right arm, she looked down on them calmly. If her master wanted her dead, he was going to have to work for it.

Skywalker stood behind Kenobi, both had lit sabres, calm and confident at her appearance. Her eyes flickered over them, planning her moves for the fight ahead, she needed space and a way out of here.

"Ventress, you're not looking well." She wondered how Kenobi managed to include an element of concern in his voice, but quickly squashed the thought, it would only slow her down.

"She never does." Snarked Skywalker, his eyes never leaving her.

Kenobi pointed his saber at her, "You have failed, Ventress. Surrender."

"Never." She declared before jumping at them, yelling her frustration at them, both her lightsabers bursting to life as she fell upon them, using their defence to move over and past them. She landed low, blades spread and immediately moved back to attack.

They both once more blocked her attack and she focused the next blow on Kenobi, he blocked it and she leant back to avoid skywalkers thrust. She spun and swiped at him. As planned she found the entire hanger bay to her back and both Jedi between the ships, she had greater mobility available to her now.

She backed off, never turning from them, skywalker rushed in high followed by Kenobi to his side as skywalker was forced back. She blocked them both, a few blows crossed but her kick broke through throwing Kenobi away.

She cartwheeled to avoid Skywalker's series of attacks, moving back towards the entrance to the rest of the ship, if she could get in there, she would be able to only fight them one on one, better odds though than two on one as it was here.

Another set of traded blows and Skywalker used the force to push her back, she felt the wall behind her, good, a few fancy moves and her own force push, slammed skywalker into the wall where she had just been. He glared at her as he took a deep breath, winded by the impact.

* * *

The tactical droid answered the call from the count, his image slightly distorted by the shots hitting their shields. "Yes, my lord. Ventress is battling the Jedi on board the command ship."

With a tone of anger the droid was unused to, he almost snarled at it, "Turn your guns on our command ship and open fire."

The tactical droid ran the order through and examined the results. "But, my lord, I calculate that will result in the destruction of Ventress, the Jedi, and all our forces."

With a tone of satisfaction, he nodded, "Precisely."

* * *

Kenobi had returned to the fight, having recovered from the kick to his sternum, she held them both off; the force fuelling her muscles, but the strain was too much, she felt pain rip through her from her ribs, distracting her attention from the fight.

Twisting away, she was forced back towards her fighter, until with a combined force push they slammed her into the cockpit. They surrounded her and glared down, waiting for her to yield or attack, her rage burned and rushed to the surface and she reached out with the force, her will hammered towards them and she grasped at their throats, lifting and choking them, satisfaction burned in her at the thought she could win this.

* * *

The roger turned to the tactical droid at its side, "We're in position."

"Open fire." It pointed at the flagship as it gave the command.

The broadsides opened up, hammering into the ship's hull. With no shields left, the hull began to blister and warp as it shook, the droids on the command deck confused by the events, the tactical droid began to give orders before a turbolaser blast struck and the bridge erupted into the void.

* * *

The impacts shook the ship, Ventress lost her concentration, dropping her victims, they all looked around before continuing the fight. The gravity plating distorted and the battle began to feel like the side of a small mountain, the loose ships began to slide downhill. But the fight continued, jumping, they moved over the fighters.

Another series of explosions shifted the plating the other way, the fighters stopped and began to slide back towards the fight. Kenobi kicked her back, she impacted on her fighter, a lightsaber jolted from her hands and one of her cracked ribs broke. Breathing suddenly turned from a burning pain, to agony, her eyes widened as she realised another good blow like that and she'd be breathing blood.

She slid backwards under the fighter's wing to gain time, now she only had the one blade the fight had distinctly shifted. Another series of attacks on her now tiring form and suddenly Kenobi span her blade from her hand, she watched in annoyance as it clattered across the floor.

She stood with the tips of two blades near her throat and grunted in frustration.

Skywalker snarled at her, "It's over."

As she thought how to get out of this, she glanced behind them, her eyes widening in shock as a burning vulture droid flew into the hanger, Kenobi saw her reaction and looked to see the same thing.

"Anakin, look out!" He cried, leaping away to avoid being crushed against the wall. Skywalker followed him and Ventress dived under her wrecked fighter, hoping that it would be enough to protect her.

A droids voice called over the ships speakers "Abandon ship!" Repeating itself. Ventress could not hear the Jedi over the noise and the ringing in her ears from the explosion. She carefully pulled herself into her fighter, hoping it would give her a chance, a flick of her wrist and her blades jumped to her.

She triggered the start-up and the screens lit up, she closed her eyes for a moment in relief before sealing the cockpit and triggering the engines. She saw the two Jedi fighters get clear of the bay just as she rammed a squad of B1's, crushing a few beneath her, her fighter reached the entrance to the hanger.

Less than a second later the ship blew apart, shrapnel and large sections flying in different directions.

* * *

The tactical droid finished processing the reports before opening the comm channel. "The command ship has been destroyed. Our scanning indicates there are no survivors."

Dooku managed his frustration at events and nodded, "Your work there is finished. Recall the fleet."

Dooku barely heard the, "By your command," as he cut the link. It was better this way, better Ventress than Harry. Dooku looked out at the stars as he pondered how this changed things. He needed time and it was running out.

* * *

Mace Windu watched as the medical team finally moved away and left the room. He motioned to the guards and they sealed the room. Standing next to her, he waited for her to begin.

Rees Alrix coughed a few times, taking a sip of water to clear her throat she began. "Master Windu, Eriadu has fallen. General Jade took it with a larger fleet than we expected. He just hammered through our lines and began to secure beachheads."

She coughed again and he handed her the cup again, taking it back when she had taken a sip, "We resisted as best we could but things were turning bad. The droids were equals to the clones, we lost so many until we adapted. They controlled all the communications networks. We had to warn you. I was chosen to run the blockade."

"What sort of numbers are we talking about in troops?"

She sighed, "Eriadu is lost master, they were transferring a large portion of the ship yards and planet based factories to produce material for the war effort. The seppies were reinforcing the system as we escaped. They managed to keep the local populace in line as well, nothing like the other fronts."

"What do you mean?"

"Food was shipped in, they were producing a registry of all citizens. Criminals were punished, resistance fighters were annihilated. But they were precise, they refused to allow collateral damage to happen, anything like that was because of us."

"What about other Jedi?"

"Master Bridger was in command, Master Madorin was on the front lines. We had a decent number of clones to fight with, but without reinforcements we were losing on attrition alone. To get me out Madorin led an assault on the planets governor, he was a monster, he executed every clone that was captured, a few he tortured for intelligence first, we found their remains."

He gently pushed her back to lie down on the bed, "rest, when you wake next I want you to write everything down, we will review your report then."

She nodded and quickly fell asleep as the exhaustion caught back up with her. Windu left the room and began to walk towards the council chamber, he needed to review the strike team nominations, this new information was useful and would allow him to refine the plan a little further. He pondered leading it himself, shaking his head he frowned, he was needed elsewhere; Master Coleman would be suitable to lead the mission.

* * *

Lira Blissex looked at the woman opposite, her eyebrow raised in interest. "Two million credits, just for the plans?"

Avlin Varn nodded, "that's the offer, we just want the designs, I've heard nothing but excellent things in regards to your father and his work, but I noticed details he missed out in his explanations. I imagine that you're the one who makes his ideas actually work."

"True, but I have a few designs of my own that might be of more interest. How large a scale are you looking to construct?"

"How big is your best?"

"It's a basic design, but I have one that would be nineteen kilometres long."

Avlin coughed at that, "what the hell were you planning on it fighting?"

"Fleets, planets, things like that," Lira waved a hand in dismissal, "it's more a mental exercise than a real plan. I wondered if you could actually build a ship that big and what it would take. I've got most of it complete already, there's a few gaps that need to be finished, but it's a good core to build from."

Avlin smiled, "I'll add another million now for the designs, if they're workable for my employers then I think we can stretch to another two on top."

Lira smirked at Avlin, "ten, up front, another five after checks. I'll give you the other plans you want in the mix. Not a credit less than that, I'm sure my father's business contacts would pay something along those lines for this."

Avlin frowned, "I want the originals and it will be my employers alone. Not a byte less. Payment will be on delivery of the data. If we find someone else has the designs we will not be pleased."

Lira frowned at the threat but nodded, "I can manage that, you get my originals and copies of my father's work. Ten at the exchange and another five when your employers see how good my work is."

* * *

Dooku sat looking through the tinted great window depicting his Houses seal. His hands clasped before him as he pondered the alterations to his plans this would cause. Frustration bubbled within him, so much personal time and effort wasted on training her. No matter Harry's promises and ideas, he would never believe that the krait droids would be effective enough to do Ventress' work. His prejudices and anger clouding his judgement. A sickly yellow glow floated between his fingers, an urge to inflict suffering on others came to his mind before he hammered it down, he had no time or interest in fuelling his vices, especially not now. Not when he had to make sure his Master didn't look too deeply into his affairs.

At the appointed time he opened the link to his master, to update him and await further orders.

"Master." His voice carefully controlled to avoid angering him.

Sidious raised an eyebrow at the fact Dooku was not kneeling before him, but allowed it to pass without comment, he had after all commanded Dooku to kill one of his pets. "What is it, lord Tyranus?" A tone of tired annoyance brought Dooku to his knees as he should be.

"I have done as you've asked." His eyes to the ground, making sure to show no more disrespect to his master. "Asajj Ventress is dead."

Sidious allowed himself a single chuckle over the matter, "Once again, you've proven your loyalty to me. I am thankful we have no need for further tests of your loyalty, for now."

The link cut before Dooku could respond, fully aware of the implied threat to Harry. He knew where his loyalties lay, but would it be the same if he had to do to Harry as he had Ventress? His relationship had become strained after the malevolence incident. What had followed had not helped either, should he ever discover the truth about Senator Bonteri's death, there would be no saving things, he wondered if Harry would even give him the chance to explain why.

From the walkway above, green sensors watched and began final preparations. The hunter program had almost found the other end of the signal this time, Coruscant system.

* * *

Avlin Varn opened the comm-channel, "I have it and more, I'll need money to cover my expenses, it got rather more expensive than expected, but there's something I think you really want to see."

Xora blinked at the change of the plans. "And how much will it cost us?"

Avlin winced, "fifteen for the designs, I've had a brief look. They look legit and I think they're workable now. Get a few egg heads on them and you should be able to make it all work smoothly. The boss will love it, it's perfect for his tastes."

Xora frowned, "I'll transfer the money, deliver the data in person, make sure its secure. This had better be worth it."

Avlin made eye contact, "it makes the Hermione look like a child's toy. What we wanted is a bonus on top of it."

Xora smiled, "if you're right, then he will be happy."

* * *

Ahsoka sat in a dark room, the wooden box before her, next to it sat the crystal. She had already examined the box, there was no sign of anything to move, perfectly sealed there were no seams. After hours of searching, she stopped, laughter bubbled within, trying to burst free.

She closed her eyes and reached out with the force, weaving her senses around the box, raising it before her, spinning it around, feeling within the grain of the wood, to her echo-location it was solid. After her frustration built to a point where she felt like she was about to burst, something moved and she would swear she heard a musical note echo around her.

Carefully feeling for the change she found it, a piece had moved, she carefully reached out once more, her mind saw wood, wood was solid, but to the force it simply was. It was solid only because she believed it to be, with that understanding she let the force flow through her, joy bubbling and humming in her veins, burning away the anger and frustration as if it were a memory.

Piece flowed into piece, over, under, around, through, sideways, so many paths, but they all led to this, each movement made a separate note and she could hear the song. Serene and calming with an undercurrent of violence and adventure, passionate and at peace, she felt it unfold before her and opened her eyes.

Floating there was a flower, some form of lotus, within its heart sat a small cube, glowing as if lit from within, intricate patterns flowed across its surface, she took it into her hand and as she ran her fingers along the patterns she felt it sing to something within her.

Once more she reached out with the force, her mind reaching out to commune with the cube, fingers of the force flowed across its surface, piece after piece moved and then it separated into its parts, shards orbiting around an orb at its centre, she looked at it for what felt like hours, the intricate dance as it floated before her, it was breath-taking, a true wonder in the universe, she felt small, insignificant before whoever had made this.

She picked up the crystal and as she did so, the dance changed, a gap opened in the flow, letting her reach in and physically insert the crystal into the heart of it. The sphere so perfect in form it reflected its surroundings moved like a liquid sphere of silver, the ripples quickly faded and as they did, intricate patterns formed across its surface, as she sat back in awe, she watched as it reformed, piece by piece until the cube once more sat before her.

She reached out and touched it with her finger, she felt a leap of her energies rush into the cube and it lit from within, a fiery orange, like a dawn sunrise. Then the patterns moved and an image appeared above the cube, it looked like he was formed of flames.

"Greetings Traveller", the human smiled at her, robes covered his form, glimpses of armour beneath it. His face was old and kindly, lined with great burdens and dark experiences.

"Hello, um, I'm not sure what I'm meant to do now."

"Well, unless things have changed a great deal since my time, introductions are in order."

"Oh, sorry, that was rude of me. I'm Padawan Ahsoka Tano. What's your name?"

"Padawan Ahsoka Tano, it is a pleasure to meet you. I have had many names and titles in my life, many would have been quickly forgotten, but my favourite… you may call me Krait."

* * *

 **Reviews:**

Eljin1: Thank you. I'm actually following that one myself. It's an enjoyable read and includes some very valid points. It's a little awkward sometimes when that story comes out with stuff I've written ages ago but haven't yet published, but in those cases I promise I'm not copying them. Hell, I even have the last scene of this story already written, its just the middle that I have to work on :)

Guest: Thank you.

C. : Thank you.

Shadowsmage: Thank you. Things will get interesting for the characters, I sometimes feel sorry for the bad guys sometimes, if only harry didn't mess with their plans so easily :)

Davycrockett100: thank you.

BioHazard82: Thank you.

Ksecc1: if harry couldn't handle a little problem like grievous then he isn't worth the attention :) plus that attempt wasn't to kill him, just reduce his power and influence.

Ronin Kenshin: Thank you.

Emperor Vanquest: It isn't a stupid question. The star charts would only work from the point of view of earth, constellations are based from our vision of the stars in the galaxy. As for the second part, who said harry travelled into the past?

Beloved Daughter: Thank you. I don't imagine he'd be pleased when he sees harry's fleet show up towards the end of his plans.

Lycan01: thank you.

Arashi – IV of VI: Thank you.

Lord of Carrion: She did need the reality check, don't worry more is coming on that front. Whilst a spit take would be fun to see, it would take a little more than that to cause it, not much mind you. Dooku as another identity on earth, I hadn't actually considered that, but I like it, it would be a nice use of a name with meaning for harry. I'm looking forward to the fight that will happen between the chosen ones, but that will come later and harry has every intention of twisting every knife he has in that fight. Anakin has really forgotten what it means to be a Jedi, he's so focused on being a General and hiding his secrets he's lost sight of the end goal.

Starboy454: thank you.

Apathetian: Thank you, I hope you enjoy the entire story.

Tobi1989: thank you. The King of All is indeed a reference to the basilisk, Harry has been affected by its venom trying to kill him with phoenix tears trying to fix him at the same time. This with his magic trying to keep him alive changed harry, Admiral Trench refuses to go near Harry due to this. The wand core issue will be resolved in the future, but not through a basilisk.

Annoy Mouse: Thank you and I'm glad you are enjoying it. In regards to the charms I've added an author's note below as it is a very valid question, hopefully this answers your question suitably. Harry simply designed the droids to be the best anti-Jedi droids he could, then added as many bells and whistles as he could manage. I would have done the same in his place. The betrayal issue will come to a head, but it's going to be a while before it does.

Stallion6 of Deviantart: Lightsaber wise, Harry is better than Grievous by a small margin but Dooku still outclasses him at this time. Training with the droids that had been assigned as Grievous' guards has taught Harry much about Grievous. Adding Magic to the fight shifts the game immensely. Skill in the force, you are indeed correct.

Alex2909: Thank you, I'm trying to improve on my writing as I go. It's already improved my other stories I'm working on. With Harry its go big or go home.

Red Demon161: Dooku is a noble, born and raised except for about 6 decades with the Jedi. He knows what is expected of someone in his position, he's seeing Harry as a suitable heir and wants Harry to take that role. It happens in series 3 of the clone wars cartoon. Valid quotes, but they require everyone to have the same idea of paradise. Harry doesn't know the end game, he suspects fragments but is currently confused as to what exactly the end game is, the strategies used make no sense to him, so he's ignoring them and doing his best to win. There will be more Harry and Ahsoka later, not so much with Padme, but I haven't written those parts yet.

Orion0905: Thank you, I'm glad you are enjoying it. I was always a little disappointed in canon harry, there was so much he could have done if he tried, but he blindly trusted Dumbledore. This harry, well, he's mostly his own man, still a few hangups, but he's working on those.

Ahsanrox: Thank you.

Regfurby: The assassin guy as you called him only knows a pseudo name that Sidious used, unfortunately that won't be enough to find him. I believe I've answered a few parts of your questions in this chapter. Harry believes that he has enough control, please note the wording in that sentence.

Michaelsuave: Thank you, I hope you enjoy the story to its end. Harry unfortunately has only rudimentary training in the mental arts, Dooku has helped with that but Snape's abuse made very poor foundations for everything to be built on. The shard in his mind doesn't want to drive him crazy, it wants a body, so it's nudging responses to what it wants as carefully and quietly as it can. Bleeding little snippets of itself into the host so the boundaries between them are muddled. Any weakness will be exploited for its gain. The Horcrux issue isn't a main plot point but it is important to Harry's story, as it should. And yes, Luna left a few gifts around to help Harry, after all she gave herself to the ritual to guide him home.

Bluesnowman: Thank you.

Srgtamy: Thank you. I'm quite happy with how I ended the chapter. I'm trying to follow the canon timeline as best I can for the story, Harry doesn't help sometimes with his shenanigans, but that's also fun.

Ranmaleopard: Thank you.

Neon1311: Thank you. Dooku is well aware of the sabotage and it isn't just the CIS who is having that problem with their production. The war is mostly to remove any threats to Sidious' rise to power, the Jedi being one of the greatest. Dooku has to defeat Sidious, not the entire republic to become the new master.

Shugokage: Thank you.

Indecisive Bob: He would do his best but would hate every moment of the job.

Yami-Guy: It won't be an easy adjustment but I'm going to give it a go for them. I'm glad you are enjoying the story.

Penny is Wise: Thank you, I hope you keep enjoying the story.

Pirkeness (Guest): Thank you for your review but I will not be moderating it as acceptable for public viewing. In future if you wish the review to be publically viewed then I would not suggest insulting an amateur author in such a matter. It's unlikely you will read this, but I have chosen to respond to every review I receive within the time I am writing this story. I hope you enjoy reading other stories.

 **AN:**

I was asked why I didn't include or use the impervious and unbreakable charms in the droids construction. To be completely honest, I forgot about them... but i've tried to explain below as to my reasons not to retcon things to include them.

First of all there is the issue of the Runic array itself. It is a complex and difficult piece of design of which harry is an amateur working on a complex puzzle. A true ward specialist would throw fits at what he's cobbled together. It's full of flaws and issues that are not needed nor wanted. It contains an intent based trigger to absorb magic and force energies, these are then absorbed through a protego into a power reservoir, about 90% is taken to protect the target and the rest is stored for later. The armour of the droid should be able to handle the rest of the effects. Attached to this reservoir are a series of spells, these include a silencing charm targeting the droid, a disillusionment charm as well as cooling and warming charms to maintain a constant cool temperature in its core. There is also a master key which attunes to the first source of magical energy that starts the array working, all other sources will be protected against. Force energy would work as well, but Harry didn't mention that to Dooku. Alongside all this is a separate portkey with a beacon device located nearby for the portkey to home in on. The biggest issue is the maximum capacity of the reservoir, once its filled then it will start to bleed into the rest of the array, eventually under a sustained assault the array will break, violently. If the runes are part of an unbreakable droid, the power has to go elsewhere, eventually we have an explosion.

Harry only gave enough power to the droids to start the array working, without him or Jedi affecting them, no more will fill the array. If they were in a location strong in the force, they would absorb the ambient power, this hasn't caused any problems anywhere as of yet. His children have a bigger reservoir and start with a greater pool to draw from, but have to follow the same rules as the others.

Now the issue with Impervious Charms and Unbreakable charms. First of all the Impervious charm, it makes the target waterproof, or should I saw liquid proof, from full liquids down to mist. A good thing to have but not necessary in the end. The droids internal components are sealed so as to work in space without damage and underwater. Harry didn't bother with it as it seemed redundant. It would also drain power due to its constant application. It doesn't do anything to blaster fire as I believe that is plasma held in a bubble of gas. No liquids are involved.

The unbreakable charm hasn't been described as a permanent effect, but would likely last a while, especially with top ups. It has also only been used on a jar in the novels; therefore a lot of writer choices have to be made when using it. My version affects the entire object its cast upon, at that point it becomes permanent. It would no longer vibrate, heat or cool, flexibility or elasticity would stop, there's a whole host of other problems with it, but I'm not a scientist. Then there is the energy requirement to cast it, a jar is one thing, a droid is much bigger, an army of droids or a starship. Now it's getting crazy. The charm on the krait droids would result in a killer droid designed to hunt and kill Jedi with armour that could take turbolaser fire without a problem, it is also a learning program designed to adapt and grow from its experiences. Cortosis armour, blades and lightsabers do not help in the mix. This is not a good combination. Harry is savvy enough to presume that one of them could be turned against him, this would not end well for him should that happen. Basically drop it into space and let it drift for ever in the dark, even then it might return one day.

Finally I have not used it for story purposes. With a few charms and a dozen vulture droids (the droid fighters), you could destroy fleets. The Unbreakable charm, cooling and warming charms and a charm to make a shield which only absorbed energy which would be sent to the engines and weapons. Some space expansion charms would allow bigger guns in a smaller space and potentially a bay of missiles to be launched. At this point, it's pretty much game over, you can't hurt it and shooting it only refuels it, it has enough missiles to destroy continents and capital scale weapons.

This would result in a very boring story to me.


	16. Of Monsters and Men

**Chapter 16 – Of Monsters and Men**

Bo-Katan stood before the general, her helmet in the crook of her arm, her body at attention automatically at the look he had given her when she entered his presence.

Harry looked at the Mandalorian, her hair only reached her shoulders but its colour and cut suited her well. He felt a fiery passion and dedication to her cause burning within her. Her armour was simple and of good quality, well used and cared for. Her weapons were the same, she moved with the grace of a hunting cat, violence barely restrained within her.

He smiled at her, "Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze, I have heard much about you." At her shift in stance due to her surprise he chuckled, "Leader of the Nite Owls and Pre Vizsla's right hand in Deathwatch. You are an effective fighter and leader of your people, your followers are the remnants of Clan Kryze who did not follow your sister. Now, you have come here to talk, so I will listen."

She narrowed her eyes at him as he spoke before beginning herself, "I am here to discuss terms of an alliance between yourself and my commander. He is tired of Count Dooku's excuses and desires action to be put to the words offered, you are a man of action and have resources we require. For your aid in taking what is ours, we will assist you in your actions to remove Dooku from his position and take leadership of the CIS. I have been authorised to discuss terms of such an alliance, but I will require his agreement to make any final decision."

"Your commander, this Pre Vizsla, calls himself the Shadow Mandalore. I find it disappointing that the title has fallen so far. Skulking in the shadows, a terrorist, nothing like the Mandalore's of old. But you. You are a warrior I can work with. I see fragments of your ancestors in you."

She blinked at his words, "what?"

He focused his eyes on her, it was like he was examining her soul and she imagined that she felt a cold breeze caressed her skin. "I will not ally myself with Pre Vizsla and his childish tantrums. However, I will ally with a true Mandalorian warrior, you."

He reached to one side and his Falleen aide passed him a file. Opening it he looked at her. "I will give you Mandalore if that is what you desire, however I have a proposition for you. No matter which side wins the war, what comes afterwards will make this look like a party. My advisors have warned me of what they have discovered, therefore I have decided to make appropriate preparations. I will be too busy in my own duties to lead my troops directly, what I require is a… I believe the title in your tongue would be Al'Ori'Ramikade. I have a few options for my first admiral already. I will not take the title Mandalore have no fear on that, but I want my armies to strike fear into their foes, therefore they will need a suitable commander. Does this interest you?"

Bo-Katan looked at him, eyes narrowed in focus, "you want me to betray my commander to work for you and lead your armies in the future?"

Harry smiled at her, he could feel her interest flowing from her, her ambition burning within, "Yes, that's the basics."

* * *

Ventress landed the ship in an orchard, the three of them quickly disembarking, they had little time before the ship was spotted.

Above them four green sensors watched the ship land and pondered the best course of action, walking away from the window it jumped to the roof of the large chamber, its claws biting deep into the reinforced structure. The only way through to Dooku's private rooms was through here, if they used the vents, then Dooku would be driven back here for space to fight in. Either way was beneficial for Set's plans.

Swiftly the assassins ran through the forest branches, the force fuelling their movements. As shadows they reached the base of the cliff and began to climb.

Silence ruled on the castle walls, no threat would dare strike here. The silence and darkness was broken by the hum of a lit lightsaber, swiftly carving a doorway through the castle wall. Ventress and the two sisters entered into the air ducts, quickly Ventress orientated herself and led the way.

Through the air ducts they moved, careful and silent, holding in place as guards and servants moved above and below in the halls.

Gently reaching out with the force Ventress felt him, "He's below us", whispering to the others, careful not to alert her target.

Karis whispered next to her, "You can sense him?"

Ventress quietly snarled back, "I can smell his stench a parsec away." She carefully opened the hatch, "Be on guard at all times." With grudging respect she continued, "He is no fool." Taking Naa'leth's shoulder for a moment, she warned them, "He is a Sith lord."

Below them, Dooku rested on his bed, the air warm enough to not need sheets, he lay at rest, his meditations being the only way he could have a clear night's sleep.

The three scrambled down to the floor, landing silently and without disturbing anything in their path.

Ventress pulled out Mother Talzins poisoned dart and using the force to launch it, gently blew it at the count.

Dooku awoke with a cry of pain as the dart punctured his neck, its poison surging into his veins. He scrambled out of bed and reached for his sabre, summoning it to his hand. He stood lighting it spinning for any threat. His hand raised and yanked the weapon into his grip, he glared at the dart before throwing it away, he searched the room with the force, but it was cloudy and dull, sluggish and unresponsive. "What sorcery is this?" he moved to guard himself and kept getting flashes of the shadows moving, his vision blurred and unbalanced, he rubbed his eyes to clear them as he felt the shadows hunting him move closer. He felt the presence of other force users and the blue blade of a lightsaber moved towards him from the darkness. "I do not need my eyes to see you, Jedi."

Closing his eyes and letting his tattered connection to the force guide him, he leaped spinning through the air and struck, lightsaber clashing against lightsaber.

Blue clashed against red, a flurry of blows, swift and deadly, his own moves thrown against him. The assassin was one of those he tutored, but who? Too many to ponder now, kill them and find out afterwards. He reached into himself to use the spells he knew but a flicker of fear ran through him as the control slipped and the power fell through his fingers like water.

He snarled in anger at his weakness but managed to move as a green blade struck at his flank, he forced the blue back and spun to deflect his opponents strike, another green blade came for him from his back, quickly he reached out and he used the force to grab them and throw his enemy into the wall, it was sluggish, but decades of practice meant it came much easier to him than magic. He quickly returned to focus on the first green attacker and managed to just sidestep the returning blue fighter's blow.

Parrying blow after blow, he retreated, guiding the force through his blood, letting it purge the poison from his system, buying himself as much time as he could. Walking backwards, he moved through the castle defending himself with every step. At first only two could attack him at any point before the third assassin leapt overhead and landed behind him.

He dodged the strike and parried the blue blade, swiftly kicking the attacker behind him into the throne room. It bought him enough time to move onto the balcony running around the room, as he managed to catch a moment of rest, the third attacker leapt behind him once more, so he using the gap in their formation he leapt and landed at the centre of the chamber.

Set watched from his position above, the assassins cloaked with something like his disillusionment charm, their blades were visible however. He quickly rotated through the spectrums to confirm his vision but saw nothing more than faint wisps of movement. He decided to await the opportune moment to strike, the Counts betrayals of father delaying his immediate intercession. At the very least he would be able to study the Counts combat style against multiple opponents.

Dooku was breathing heavily, his age catching up with him and the poison slowing him as his attackers landed in a triangle around him. Standing tall, he raised his blade to the first salute of Makashi, his eyes closed, the force coming easier to him now, the poison slowly weakening.

But still it was not enough, his superior experience and mastery of his form allowed him to fight all three, slowly driven back to his desk by the blue blade. His opponents were skilled but not masters of their styles.

On the edge of gasping for breath he stood before his desk, backlit by the light from the immense window. Gathering himself, he began to surge forward, the blue blade however slammed him back against his desk using the force, his own blade falling from his weakened grip and out of his reach.

The two green blades leapt upon his desk, standing ready to strike, the blue one advanced, with a snort and cough he reached for his lightsaber only for the blue blade to send it away to clatter against the wall.

His head bowed and taking deep breaths, Dooku gathered himself, channelling his rage and fear within him, turning the spark within him into a furnace of hate.

From the shadows above, the krait droid dropped into the fight and attacked the green blades, buying Dooku precious time. It was a whirling dervish, the two green blades forced to defend together as it hammered blow after blow upon them. The assassins were hidden from its sensors, but the blades weren't, therefore he could not use the cortosis blades, he had to rely on his lightsabers, he moved with speed and grace, his attacks were the standards, but they were deadly blows should they hit.

The blue blade wavered for a moment before rising to strike at their target. "Crucio!" Dooku bellowed, his rage burning through him, the spell reached out and struck, the magic thundered through the room.

Agony ripped through every nerve within her flesh and Ventress Screamed.

The green blades moved to one side and both used the force to push their droid foe away. A ripple of energy came into being around it as its array lit the room, desperate to save their sister, they poured more of their energies into their attempts, trying to drive it back and be able to attack Dooku, the glow grew brighter as the droid advanced step by step towards them, until with its blades raised above them, something in its chest armour cracked. Immense heat poured out scalding their flesh as the air shimmered in the heat. The droid flew backwards, smashing into the wall, an arm molten and the second torn from its chassis. It struggled to stand as the green blades advanced on Dooku.

The burst of heat broke Dooku's concentration, the feeling of euphoria blinding him from his danger, he blinked as he staggered as the rush faded. The droid was useless now. The two green blades were rushing towards him, he grabbed the blue blade with the force and threw his attacker at its team members. He heard them smash together, the blue attacker whimpering in pain as their nerves burned and muscles spasmed.

Knowing another spell was beyond him for now, drained and having difficulty concentrating, he used the last of his strength to smash the three with force lightning, their screams gave him strength as he fed on their pain, but as he felt himself near the brink of his reserves, he used the force to throw them through his window over the cliffs edge, they would fall to their deaths or retreat, it mattered not.

He stood tall for a moment before falling to his knees, he glanced at the droid as it finally picked itself up and moved to watch the assassins below.

Set watched the assassins become more solid until he caught a few glimpses of their appearance, Nightsisters. If he had an eyebrow he would have raised it in surprise, they were not a faction he had expected in his plans to defend the Count, he would have to study them and adapt for future combats.

After a few minutes the droid returned to stand beside Dooku, "apologies count, they have escaped and I was unable to acquire an identity."

"No matter," he waved the thing away before standing tall. "They failed, but where were you? You are meant to be my bodyguard."

"I was unaware of intruders until you reached the entrance to this chamber, you rooms are protected against surveillance and the assassins were cloaked to my sensors using the force. I was only able to detect them due to their lightsabers. I attacked as swiftly as I was able to."

Dooku let a snarl cross his face before continuing, "You are useless to me. Either scrap yourself or return to your maker, I have no further use for you."

The droid froze for a second before bowing to the count, "as you command my lord." With that it stood and collected its broken arm from the floor and left the chamber.

Dooku slammed his palms onto the desk, his emotions still too wild to allow him to think clearly.

* * *

The Lily slipped through the systems guards, a pickup of rare artifacts for a collector in Hutt space. The bribes had been paid and no-one would record anything at the docking bay.

The astromech droid delivered the payment to the dock-master as usual and the notification was sent to the Gotal antiques dealer.

In all the noise and motion of the docking bays, no-one saw the three cloaked figures pass through and disappear.

The crowd moved around them, unaware as they did so. A slight drain on their resources but it was acceptable for the mission. They reached a data terminal and attached a modified datapad to it, the search program was quick and efficient. The terminal sparking and smoke coming from within as the three walked away. Repairs would cover any evidence they may have left behind.

A few hours later they finally reached the base of the apartment tower, finding an alleyway alongside it to avoid notice, the three looked around and Heka then began to climb, the pointed claws on his feet and fingers punching into the metal and stone, slowly and carefully he moved until he reached an air vent large enough for him to access, then he carefully disabled the locks and alarm before entering.

Maahes and Anhur began searching for a taxi from the less monitored levels below, one of the nightclubs would provide a suitable target.

* * *

Count Dooku sat in front of the shattered window, his hands clasped before him in his familiar thinking pose. His brow furrowed with thoughts of the assassins last night. His body still shook from the exertion and the poison now cleared from his blood, the damage healing as its remnants were purged from his system.

A comms signal came through for his attention. Surprised at the source, he obliged his curiosity and established the link.

The image of Mother Talzin appeared and he internally frowned. A Sith sorceress, she knew magic, could she hold some of the missing pieces he desired, he had forgotten about her in all honesty. Harry needed to be warned about her and the danger she could become.

"Count Dooku. It has been too long." Her voice weathered with age, but still strong.

"Yes, Mother Talzin. How may I assist you?" Curiosity coloured his question, it was rare for her to contact anyone, people came to her normally.

"It has come to my attention that you have lost your most prized assassin."

"How would you know of this?" His emotions still close to the surface, he allowed a touch of anger and menace into his words.

"I know these things. I have seen it." The emphasis on seen was not missed, "After all, she was once one of us."

Grudgingly he admitted, "It is true that your warriors are of an extraordinary calibre."

"Perhaps something different this time. Perhaps a male from our planet will be more to your liking, since you could not tame the female." The less than subtle barb, did its work, Mother Talzin was amused at the flash of rage and indignation across the counts face.

"I shall take you up on your offer."

"Excellent." She nodded at his agreement. "I will be in contact."

As the link ended, Dooku pondered Talzin's powers. He knew she was a Sith alchemist and sorceress, perhaps she could gain Harrys attention and guide his desire to return to a more productive cause. But then again he might follow her guidance more than his. He snarled at the air, she would not steal his true apprentice from him, they must not cross paths, the secrets she held would be too tempting, too dangerous to Dooku's plans.

* * *

Maahes dropped the body of the taxi driver off the side of the vehicle; he would be classed as a jumper as soon as they could identify his remains. It would buy them time to escape without alerting local law enforcement. He quickly flew it up to the tower, parking it under the balcony, too close for an organic to safely manage, and close enough to begin their escape.

Anhur swiftly climbed out and carefully opened the apartment's balcony entrance, the alarm easy to disable, cloaked in the disillusion charm no cameras could detect him. He carefully moved to the desk and attached the datapad to the computer there, the hunter program quickly searching for useful data. Meanwhile he went to the small room containing the set up for the private security systems, he climbed the equipment and locked his limbs to hide himself by the ceiling, letting the charm stop to preserve power. He connected himself to the system and began to go through the recordings, looking for anything that could be of use from the last few months.

A second hunter program marked the files to be corrected to hide his actions and presence; a security program began the alterations to the recordings, using older recordings to fill in the gaps. The hunter program then checking the recordings for errors.

Deep in the heart of the building, Heka watched from the airvent, the buildings security guards below joking with each other and dealing with the tenants as they entered and exited the building. He listened and copied their voice patterns, observing each of their duties, getting ready for the signal.

* * *

Dooku watched as his guest arrived, he could feel Mother Talzin's presence like a smothering blanket over him, she was strong in the force, and cunning. He gathered his power around him like armour and shielded his thoughts from her, there could be no hints of Harry to be found by her.

He smiled as the ship hatch opened, two nightsisters moved to flank the entrance. Mother Talzin followed, flowing across the ground. Dooku managed to hide his reaction as he could see a dark mist flowing around her, tendrils caressing her skin. A great presence within her shadow and a feeling of something else, something greater observing him.

With a polite nod he greeted her, "Sister, welcome to my home."

She smiled at him, her condescending smirk grating on his senses. "Count Dooku." With a raised eyebrow and with a wave towards the ship, "May I present, Savage Opress." It was strange to watch the almost after image of the mist following her motions, but that was nothing to hearing the echoes from the mist of the male voice as she spoke to him. Or was that hearing her echo the male's words.

Savage exited the ship, strong strides with his glaive in hand. Dooku was impressed with his physique, the dark side flowed through his limbs, his eyes glowed in the shadows. Dooku raised an eyebrow at that; this xabrak was saturated with the dark side. He was immense; Dooku had to look up to make eye contact.

"He certainly is a sight to behold." Dooku maintained a calm tone to his voice, a touch of interest to imply that she had impressed him.

"The fiercest of his kind, my Lord. He shall serve you well." She nodded slightly to him, pleased at having caught his attention.

"Yes, he shall." Dooku smiled at how this monster could be of use to him, perhaps his masters attempt to remove threats had turned against him, this warrior would make a fine weapon should he survive his tests.

Savage knelt before his new master focusing his hate within.

Dooku nodded to Mother Talzin, "the price for this one?"

She smiled at him, "a debt between us, I will call on you for a service or gift in exchange for Savage to be yours to use."

Dooku frowned for a moment, "I accept on the condition that the debt will be of an equivalent exchange to this one's usefulness to me."

She looked at him with more interest than before, "acceptable, now, I thank you for your hospitality but I have much to do."

* * *

Maahes sent the signal, his brothers moving to the next stage.

Heka opened the panel and lowered himself between the three guards, slowly he extended the cortosis blades, as they locked into place, one of the guards stopped and turned.

Two blades punched through their victim's necks as Heka used his clawed foot to grab the third by the head and slam him into the floor, the claws ripping through his victim's spine. He dragged his foot back and slammed the body into the wall behind him as he retracted the blades and grabbed the bodies. Dumping them on their colleague, he took his position in the middle of the room and began to perform his victim's duties. Triggering his signal, he prepared for the wait.

Anhur began his role now upon receiving the second signal. Triggering a minor alarm of the system, he sent an automated alert to the tenant. She would soon return with her guards to check what had occurred.

* * *

In the senate, the young woman jolted as her comm beeped at her. Confused by the tone used, she checked it and frowned. Motioning to her guards she muttered an apology to Senator Bail Organa for not being able to join him after today's session.

As they exited quietly so as not to disturb anyone, she sent a quick note to her office telling them where she was going. Within five minutes she was on her way back to her apartment, her security team with her to secure the location.

* * *

Dooku moved behind his desk, observing his new weapon. "Mother Talzin speaks very highly of your skills. Still, I require proof of your abilities as a warrior." He pressed a button and a holo-image of a structure appeared surrounded by immense bramble like plants. "The jedi are in control of a vital outpost on the jungle planet of Devaron, a temple."

Savage reigned in his confusion, "A temple?"

"Do not be fooled, Savage. The temple of Eedit serves only as a front for the military operations of the Republic. It is essential that we seize the temple if the separatists ever hope to take control of that corner of the galaxy. You shall go to Devaron and take what is rightfully ours."

Savage bowed his head, "Yes, my Lord."

* * *

The Senator watched from the hallway as the guards swept the rooms, one of them paranoid enough to check the security closet for hidden guests.

They finally found the trigger, the balcony entrance lock had malfunctioned, it refused to fully lock, thinking it had, the sensors had triggered when it could not secure the door. They sent a note to the buildings security to send a repairman to fix it and left the Senator to her own business.

Heka waited for the all clear before disabling a lift shaft and releasing the last program designed to purge all digital signs of him having been there. He then returned to the vents, quickly moving to the connection to the lift shaft and began climbing at great speed, moving around the lift before finally making it to the roof.

The Senator sighed and looked at the time, it was too late to return to the senate and Bail had probably changed his plans already, he was a busy man after all. She sat on the sofa and relaxed for a few minutes.

As the sun started setting behind the skyline, a glowing screen caught her attention. She stood up and went to investigate, a datapad had been attached to her computer.

As she reached across and picked it up a large shadow moved behind her, a blaster moving from its mount on the back to the shoulder.

The senator span around as the shadow blocked what little light remained from outside, her mouth opened to scream, the blaster fired and she collapsed, the blast stunning her.

Anhur signalled his success, grabbing the datapad and carried the Senator to the balcony. Maahes slid the taxi out from beneath and it rose next to the edge. Quickly Anhur moved inside wrapped around their prisoner to restrain and protect her. Maahes piloted the taxi to the roof and Heka jumped aboard as it passed.

They quickly sped off, disappearing into the traffic flows.

* * *

Dooku waited for the signal to arrive, with a motion he opened up the link as soon as the system had beeped.

Savage nodded and began with his slow drawl, "My Lord."

"Is it finished?"

"Yes. The temple has been taken."

"And the jedi?"

"Dead."

With a glance to one side, Dooku watched a recording from the ships cameras displaying the fight. "Very impressive, Savage. Return to Serenno immediately."

Savage nodded, "Very well, my Lord."

Dooku cut the transmission and opened up a few screens. Yes, this could work very nicely, it would be best Savage never knew about Harry directly, not for now at least, when things were more secure that could change.

* * *

Harry sat in the room, a glass of wine in one hand as he read the datapad Xora had passed him. "They really want me to do that?"

She looked over from pouring herself a glass, "I'm just the messenger, the Senate wants you to choose a world to call your own, you have no recorded homeworld, so they want you to choose one. Various Senators have sent gifts and other offerings in an attempt to sway you to pick their world."

He looked over at her as she sat at the table, "they do realise I'm leading the entire southern warfront. What the hell are they thinking?"

She smiled sympathetically at him and shrugged, "they have no idea how a war is really run. There are very few actually competent leaders around here. They are all greedy self-centred fools who are trying to line their pockets with as much wealth as possible before they run and hide if we lose. Attaching your name to theirs gives them a great boost in popularity and prestige amongst their peers, never mind the illusion of protection it would supply them. There have even been a few offers from the neutral worlds."

Harry laughed at that and shook his head, "this is why I don't like politics, it's a bunch of squabbling children blind to the real threats. That and they stink of corruption. No, they want me to pick a world, I'll pick one and none of them will like it. Eriadu, that is now my headquarters."

Xora raised an eyebrow at that, "Eriadu? Wow, not a subtle move and it will upset both Senates in some fashion at least, but it's not a bad choice. Good trade routes, we already have it secured and none of your allies have a claim on it. Also adds to the conquering hero theme you have going. I Like it."

He smirked at her and hissed in parseltongue, " _I'm sure you do like it_."

She shuddered in pleasure and struggled to control herself in response, "I have no idea why that damn language does that to me, but be careful, any more and I'm not sure what I'll do."

He grinned at her, and carried on in parseltongue, " _shall we find out?"_

* * *

Maahes stopped the taxi at the entrance to the warehouse, the Gotals opening a crate ready for their guest. The droids placed the senator within the padded box and placed the oxygen mask over her face, a slight sedative within would keep her subdued. They carefully placed it with the others before they drove off to deliver the crates to the Lily.

Anhur and Heka went with the crates pretending to be labour droids.

Maahes flew the taxi to a run-down area near the docks and abandoned it there; walking into an unlit entrance he triggered his portkey and returned to the Lily. He began to prepare a room for their guest and began to search the local network to hunt for anything of interest.

Within an hour, the crates were being loaded on board. The moment the ship was sealed, they moved their guest to her new quarters and removed any technology from her person. They checked it through and disposed of anything that could be used to track or communicate with her by throwing it over a walkway to fall into the lower levels.

Now they simply had to wait for her to awake.

* * *

Dooku and Savage entered the throne room at a leisurely walk, Savage to his left and slightly behind him. Dooku turned slightly as they walked, looking up at the warrior beside him, "You have done well, Savage. I'll have much use for you."

Stopping at the foot of the stairs, "Thank you, my Lord."

Dooku continued up them, "I foresee we will do great things together. I shall teach you the ways of the dark side." He turned to look down at his new weapon. "Soon your powers will rival that of the great Sith Lord Darth Maul." He thought for a moment and chose to take a new direction with this one. "We will be even more powerful than Lord Sidious. We shall rule the galaxy together, my apprentice."

Savage made eye contact directly with Dooku, "I am your servant," with a slight nod, "Master."

Dooku nodded, pleased with the response. "Go, rest, tomorrow we shall begin with your training properly."

As savage left the chamber, Dooku sat in his chair and smiled. Let Savage believe himself the new apprentice, let him think he would be there in the end beside Dooku. He would use his weapon to attack and weaken his master before Dooku struck beside his true apprentice. Then they could rule the galaxy together, the House of Dooku standing tall and strong, their banners spreading across the galaxy. It would soon be time to declare Harry to be his heir, just a few last loose ends to cut first.

* * *

Senator Riyo Chuchi woke up on a bed that was not her own, a strange taste in her mouth and a headache from being stunned. She groggily looked around and found a large droid standing by the bed and another at the doorway. She screamed in shock and terror.

The one next to her calmly informed her, "Senator, please be quiet or we will have to make you quiet."

Her jaw snapped shut with a click in fear of what was to happen to her. Pulling her bravado around her, she looked them over and opened her mouth to speak.

The droid raised a claw and continued "hush, you will speak enough soon. First of all, you are in a secure location, no-one knows where you are and you will not be missed for several hours at a minimum. Second we will be asking you a series of questions, you will answer them honestly and clearly. We will be able to detect any lies you make. Thirdly the state you will be released in is up to you. Lies will be punished. Once this is all complete we will release you into a public area with most of your effects. Fourthly make no attempt to escape, any attempt to do so will be punished. Should you manage to escape from us, we will take it personally, I assure you, you would prefer that not to occur."

The one by the door spoke up then, "do you understand what we have informed you of?"

She blinked at them and whispered "yes."

The first one spoke again, "good, if you are helpful this will all be over quickly and without pain for you."

* * *

As the door opened behind him, Dooku turned from his view over Toydaria, Savage threw the corpse of the Toydarian king at his feet, shock and anger rushed through him. "You ignorant beast." he snarled as he advanced past the corpse. Savage backed away fearful as he realised what he had done. "I told you I wanted him alive." Dooku raised his hands and blue lightning began to gather, then it faded as Dooku looked down at him, "no, an animal like you needs a stronger lesson." Raising a single hand and pointing at Savage, he snarled "Crucio" at him, the sickly yellow energy snapped out and caught Savage in the chest, he screamed as he arched backwards.

Savage fell back to the floor, his muscles straining as his nerves burned at the agonies flowing through him. As Dooku released him for a moment from the pain and he gasped as he spasmed, one hand reaching out to his master, heavy breathes spreading more pain as his muscles ached. "Forgive me, my master."

Dooku sneered down at the failure before him, weeks of preparation, months of planning, all wasted by the beast at his feet, the energies hummed in pleasure within and around him, hungry for more, there was something within the animals suffering which tasted exquisite. "That is not the way of the dark side. Crucio."

Savage screamed again, it felt like his lungs were full of fire, his blood boiling in his veins, he began to crawl away to try and escape the pain.

The door opened and Dooku could suddenly sense his old acolyte, shock purged the euphoria from his mind. He gasped her name in his shock, "Ventress."

She sneered down at the twitching mass at her feet, "That's no way to treat your apprentice." She entered the room and took a ready stance. "I should know."

Dooku turned to the idiot between them taking his own ready stance, his lightsaber lit, "Savage, you can make amends for your mistake by destroying this witch."

Ventress laughed , "I don't think that will be happening, will it, Savage?" She reached up to touch the centre of Savage's forehead as he stood, "Remember where your true loyalties lie."

Savage froze for a moment, a slight shuddering in his form before he responded, "With you, mistress."

They both lit their lightsabers and prepared their minds for the fight. Dooku frowned as he shifted his stance to deal with his opponents.

Ventress led the charge, Dooku parried her assault, slowly moving back and to the side. He kicked her away as their lightsabers clashed only to have to dodge Savage's wild slash at him.

Focusing on the more dangerous opponent, he dodged and sidestepped savages attacks, the brute getting in their way more than helping Ventress. He kicked her away once again to try and buy a bit more space, when Savage struck and forced him back. Dooku glanced to see Ventress rising, his moment of distraction costing him as the sheer strength behind the next blow knocked him into the wall, his lightsaber falling from his grasp.

Ventress advanced, he body aching already from the impacts. "Finish him now!" She snarled.

Savage raised his blade to cut Dooku down when Dooku reached out and blasted him away with Sith lightning to smash into the far wall, narrowly missing the viewport.

As Dooku reached for his lightsaber, Ventress moved it away and ran along the sloped wall to attack. Dooku dodged each strike and backed away, trying to get close enough to his blade to retrieve it. They were both distracted as Savage bulled his way through them, Dooku smashed him to the floor with more lightning, swiftly dodging away and spinning around Ventress as she attacked, reaching out with the force his blade jumped into his hand and the fight re-joined.

As Savage regained his feet and began to move in their direction, Dooku slammed more lightning into him, forcing him to his knees. With their lightsabers locked together, Ventress snarled at Savage, "Get up. We must defeat him. Get up."

Savage roared as he charged once more, Ventress' distraction costing her as Dooku pushed her away, lightning once more knocked Savage to his knees.

"Kill him. Kill him, you fool!" She cried as Dooku held her back, anger rushing through her at the debacle this was becoming. She screamed with her rage, a flurry of blows finishing with a kick which was dodged. Savage tried once more to charge, but collapsed as lightning surged through him, Dooku having taken the gap in Ventress' assault to stop him.

Savage moaned from the floor, exhaustion and pain clear in his voice. "I can't, he gasped, He's too powerful."

Ventress snarled at Savage, "Pitiful, your weakness will not be my downfall."

As their blades clashed once again, Dooku leant towards her and sneered, "A failed apprentice makes for a foolish master." Knocking her back he smirked in victory, he could feel her tiring with each blow, her rage failing to fuel her.

She snarled back, "you would know wouldn't you master", before she struck once more.

Savage roared as he stood, Dooku glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, again? Did he not learn? This time Savage reached out at them, Ventress and Dooku both grasping at their throats as Savage lifted them, choking the air from their lungs.

He threw them away slamming them into the wall and charged them both, his assault hammering away at them, swiftly knocking Ventress back, slamming her against the opposite wall. Dooku landing by the viewport.

Ventress reached out with the force trying to slow his next attack to buy her time, the fraction of delay cost Savage as Dooku smashed him away, crashing into the doorway. Dooku then turned the lightning upon Ventress who managed to desperately block it with her lightsaber.

Dooku glanced around, he could not maintain this much more, he needed to escape, he motioned to the emergency hatch, the force opening it, and jumped into the shaft.

Dooku dusted himself off as he landed, walking towards the lift at the end of the corridor near the escape pods. He needed to make some distance, recover the situation, use the droids to weaken if not kill the assassins. He should return to the bridge, there was an escape pod there if it was required.

He stopped as he felt Ventress land behind him, "Leaving so soon, master?"

He turned his head slightly in order to watch her from the corner of his vision, "You are no match for me without the aid of your monster."

She readied herself and lit her blade, "Hmm, that remains to be seen."

Dooku lit his own blade in response, "As you wish."

She ran up with a swipe to his head which he ducked and watched as she jumped over him, dodging his own swipe. They traded blows, her acrobatic attacks falling back as he maintained a steady pace as he struck at her, forcing her backwards step by step.

With a motion in a lull he slammed her back against a bulkhead with the force, keeping her held in the air and yanked her lightsabers from her grasp as she reeled from the impact. Lightning sprang from his hands to slam into her, her back arching as she screamed.

He let her drop and as she gasped for air he moved up to her, his blade raised to strike, Time to end this once and for all.

As the point of the blade fell, she grasped at him with the force, knocking the strike away, it punctured a pipe, steam bursting out into Dooku's face.

He recoiled with the pain, his arm raised to guard his face, turning quickly he watched as Ventress ran, her lightsabers jumping to her hands just as she jumped into an escape pod.

He stood above the hatch, too late to stop her and frowned. Anger coursing through him along with his wounded pride at being played like he had.

He took a few breaths to calm himself and to gather his thoughts. He opened a commlink, "Commander, Savage Opress is a traitor. Destroy him." He cut it off before he could hear the response. Was nothing to go correctly for him? He snarled as he returned to the bridge, enough damage had been done already, he would return to the fleet and try and salvage the wreckage the plan had become. His master would not be pleased.

* * *

Harry finished his modified kata. The lightsabers lowering around him.

Xora watched from the entrance to the chamber, "that was very impressive, where did you learn that?"

Harry smirked, "ancient records of a Sith Lord with a few recordings of her fighting. I decided that it could be very useful to learn, didn't work too well for me, so a few runic arrays into the lightsaber hilts allow me to cheat and exceed what she was able to manage."

She chuckled to herself, "you never do anything by halves do you? Anyway, you have a message, San'sii has finished his reports for you."

Harry looked over in interest at that, towelling off the sweat he moved to join her, his robes flowing over him with a flick of a finger. "Let's see what we have then."

They walked through his personal section of the ship to San'sii's cell. Within was a gaunt and broken man, barely more than a skeleton he slowly turned to look at the first people he had seen in months.

Harry stood before him as Xora recoiled in disgust at the sight. Making eye contact he tested his prisoners mind, the Imperius still binding his mind. Harry smiled, "you have completed my commands to the best of your ability?"

San'sii nodded, "yes master, I have done as you commanded me."

"Is there anything else you think should be added to the records?"

"No master, you know everything else by now."

Harry smiled at him, "excellent, you've done well, close your eyes, it's time for you to rest. Now my next order is simple. Go to sleep and never wake back up, you will feel no pain as you sleep." He cocked his head to one side, watching as San'sii obeyed.

* * *

Savage stopped as he was leaving the chamber, his hand clasped around the amulet. "Mother, there was something else. Count Dooku shouted a word when he used a power more painful than the lightning."

"Yes my son, what was it?" Her curiosity peaked.

"He said Crucio."

Tanzin froze, "it matters not my son, I shall investigate further, focus on your mission."

He nodded as he left, "as you wish mother."

Tanzin sat and stared at the orb before her, now where would Dooku have learnt about such things as that? Even she had heard only tales of such power, he was no sorcerer of Sith magics, so where had he learned such a lost art? This changed many things. Many things indeed.

* * *

 **AN:**

Things are a little slow at the moment as I'm playing the Mad Max game in my spare time. So just be aware that the next chapter might be a little later than my recent schedule. Not too much, but maybe a day or two.

 **Reviews:**

Emperor Vanquest: I can understand the viewpoint, but for my story Harry is in his future, not his past.

Bioazard82: Thank you.

Guest: Thank you.

Neon1311: Thank you. I can see your viewpoint. I agree that he has blinded himself to the actions available to him, it was rather frustrating to watch the clone wars and see him wasting opportunities to shift the war in his favour. It's even more so when writing my version, I want to use him the way he should be used, but to do so will spoil important elements of my plot lines.

Blackholelord: It's going to be a while before it arrives on the fronts, but it's a coming :) still trying to pick a suitable name for her. Yes Harry's followers have gotten a slight head start on a certain design of warship, at least as soon as they get rid of a bunch of issues in the designs.

Neodova: Thank you.

C. : Thank you.

SSSra: Thank you. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story all the way to the end.

Red Demon161: Why wait for this war to end, those ships would be helpful as soon as they are finished. The Jedi aren't really the Jedi any more, they've wandered so far and focused on conflict so much that peace seems like a dream to many. PTSD will be the least of the padawans problems in the future, but it will be a major one.

Lord of Carrion: What was a slow expansion has now become a sudden and violent surge. Harry forgiving Dooku will entirely depend on his reaction to the information he is provided by his children. It also depends on if he has cooled down enough to actually listen or not when they meet. Windu is watching as on one hand the PR Hero is spreading peace and on the other the warlord is conquering worlds, propaganda is a dangerous thing if wielded correctly. Both sides should take any opportunity to remove the leadership of their enemy if possible. Also remember that most of the republic is actually hearing very little about Jade, they focus on the evil Dooku and his mad war hound general grievous, easy figures to vilify. Sidious would love the idea as it removes either a group of experienced Jedi from the war or Jade is removed and he didn't have to expend resources, win-win for him. The ship is simply a matter of time now, the names giving me problems though, can't make up my mind. Ventress has her part to play, introducing an interesting party to the game. Actually, the holocron was empty, the crystal came from a much earlier chapter of the story.

Penny is wise: Thank you.

Goundry (Guest): It will take a while for them to build the thing, but its on its way.

Starboy454: Thank you.

Arashi – IV of VI: Thank you.

Mangahero18: In old canon she appears in a comic where she dies. I wanted a female falleen for the story, her name came up and I built her up to what she is now. It's nice to see that growth. Corrupted no, guided, just a little.

Lycan01: thank you.

Davycrockett100: thank you.

Uber Ghidorah: It's not on the board to progress along those lines, but I haven't finished writing the story. the witches have a part to play in the future, so it is possible, but I'm not promising anything.

Meja9201: Thank you. I try and have a few chapters done before I release anything so I have a buffer in case of real life or writers block kicking in, thus I can currently manage the quick releases. The story is currently mid-season three of the clone wars, there's revenge of the Sith to deal with and then Harrys return in his third year, following that is the rest of the spat with Voldemort. I plan to do Harry's story as a single tale, there might, might be a spin off or sequel depending if I can manage it once I'm done. However I have a few other stories also in the works and would like to give them a bit of air time after this one.

Stallion6 of Deviantart: I little while to go before that battle occurs, but its on its way.

Ahsanrox: a chunk yet to go I'm afraid, but each chapter is a step closer.

Ksecc1: Harry met Mina Bonteri early on in the story on Onderon at a meal with the king. It's more a background friendship than mainstream one, really in hindsight I should have bulked it out more.

Suna Chunin: Thank you. I try to catch them, but some slip through every so often.

Beloved Daughter: Thank you. A little glimpse of Harry's agents within republic territory.

Orion0905: I'm afraid I can't answer due to spoilers.

Pyro69j: Thank you. More than anything, Harry has an edge on old voldie, he knows what is planned and in motion.

Michaelkoc1: I'm incredibly happy to hear that you are enjoying the story, I hope that you continue to enjoy the rest of it. Lore wise, I'm trying to use the current canon timeline with a few pieces thrown in here and there to add flavour. Don't believe that Harry is ignoring the assassins, he thinks Grivous or Ventress sent them, maybe even Dooku's master, but he doesn't feel threatened by them and he has much more important work to do, may be a touch of nudging from the horcrux there, who can say. Set has a lot of information that Harry needs, this will arrive soon enough, no fear on that. As for being naïve about the CIS, he is a little, he wants to believe it's better than the republic, but he's nearing his rage button on the stupidity he's witnessing. There's also a lot happening behind the scenes with his agents working to find his enemies, but if I included all that in the story then it would balloon immensely. Also he's sent three of his children to begin hunting the assassins, that story will build up in a little. As for Adas, he's an immensely important figure in the history of the Sith. He unified them and drove off the Rakata from is homeworld. There is also a very important prophesy about him. Not sure if this link will work: wiki/Adas

Alex2909: A slow and quiet expansion is being ramped up a lot.

Oiller (Guest): Thank you for your review.


	17. Breaking the Balance

**Chapter 17 – Breaking the Balance**

Anhur watched the cameras as his brothers searched through the networks using the senators access codes. The senator was sleeping after the exhausting interrogation for information. She was strong willed and stubborn, but had answered their questions honestly. They hadn't asked for secrets from her, that would have been messy and they did not believe she had been involved after the first batch of questions had been completed.

Heka snarled, "Nothing. There is nothing in these records which could point us to an assassin."

Maahes began to pace, a quirk he gained from their father. "The senator is trusted and connected, we must presume the information gathered through her is trustworthy. This means that other factions made the strike, we can ignore a good portion of the senate, they would be in the same position as our guest. We have the details from the confederate side of the investigation, none of them were involved. The neutrals gain nothing from such a strike. This leaves republic loyalists with military or special ops connections."

Anhur called out, "not necessarily. Criminal contacts could have been used, then there are the bounty hunter guilds, a few of those undertake assassinations, the Ragnar Syndicate for example."

Heka nodded, "indeed, they would be a likely source of the assassins, the problem there is finding the assassins and following the chain back through the group. Most likely only one person in the entire faction knows who hired them, and that is likely to be a middleman. Such a trail would be too difficult to find the true culprit."

Anhur continued, "our leads are too old and disconnected, we're working on theoreticals alone, no accurate evidence. The only option would be to interact with Republic intelligence or the bounty hunter guilds. Neither will speak to us directly, we will have to infiltrate and acquire the information."

Maahes nodded in agreement, "Republic Intelligence first. We can move closer to ensure the anchor is in reach, then strike, we can evac should things go wrong faster than they can react in full."

Heka changed the screens, "there are four bays we could use in range, however I would prefer using this site." He pointed at a region on the map.

Maahes leaned over his shoulder, "an industrial area, yes, that could work nicely." His sensors scanned the details, "there." His claw pointed out a warehouse on the edge of the district. "That one, it's currently not in use and has a large enough hanger for the Lily. We will easily be in range of the anchor should it be necessary."

Anhur called out, "what about our guest?"

Heka looked up, "we keep her as a hostage or bargaining chip, we use her security codes as far as they take us. It will implicate her, but we can either dispose of her or take her to father."

Anhur looked over at his brothers, "we take her to father, he can make the decision."

Maahes looked at his brothers, "agreed. Let us prepare and begin."

* * *

Ahsoka dozed in the cave, the crystals humming with the force around them, a serene melody at the edge of her senses.

"Are you happy, child?" Ahsoka's eyes widened in shock at the voice, she scanned the room, nothing to see bar the fire burning in the centre of the cave, her montrals finding nothing that should not be here. Then after looking around a few times, she saw the figure behind the fire, no discord in her senses as if she had been there all along.

"Your master, does he treat you well?" The voice was calm and clear, familiar to her.

"What concern of it is yours?" She asked as she reached to her belt to draw her lightsaber, stopping as she recognised the figure for an older form of herself.

"I am your future, your potential." Sadness shone in the woman's eyes at her words, but quickly she gathered herself.

Ahsoka drew both her blades, igniting with the usual snap hiss, a strangely calming and comforting noise to her, "This is a trick." She quickly scanned the cave for Master Kenobi, but he was no-where to be found.

Her older self moved forward fully into the light, her hands clear to see and no weapon in reach. "There is a wildness to you, young one. Seeds of the dark side planted by your master. Watered by another. Do you feel it?"

"No." Ahsoka denied, a surge of anger rising at the very idea. "He is like no other jedi." She looked at the ground in thought for a moment, the emotions calming as she regained control of herself, rule the passions or they will rule you. "He is passionate, impulsive, but I trust him with my life."

"There are many contradictions in you. And in him." The woman moved around the fire until it was between them again. "Be warned, you may never see your future if you remain his student. Leave this planet!" Frustration clear on her face as she stepped back into the shadows, the fire surging to block Ahsoka's vision.

"Ahsoka?" Master Kenobi's voice woke her, panic in her eyes but it quickly calmed as he helped her up.

She pondered her thoughts for a moment and then looked him in the eyes. "I had a vision. I think Anakin may be in trouble."

* * *

Master Mace Windu looked at the group before him. "This is a highly dangerous mission, there is a good chance not all of you will survive, and if you wish to drop out I will not blame you. However once I begin the full briefing, should you take that option then you will be placed into solitary confinement until the mission has been completed or aborted, however long that takes. Any of you with Padawan's will have them re-assigned to other masters until your release. Now does, anyone wish to leave before such security is enforced?"

He waited a full minute but no-one left their seats. A few looked nervously at the others, but that was expected.

Windu nodded, "excellent," he pressed a button and they all heard the room seal itself. "Now, the target is Separatist General Evan Jade." At a few gasps, he frowned but continued. "Before each of you is the file we have gathered about him. Not much but we have been unable to find anything older than three years ago. His first appearance was on Raxus," he started a recording, "as you can see he was rather different then, he was aged fifteen at this point according to recent intelligence. We have almost no record of him for nearly the next two years. A few sightings here and there, nothing major. The first major event in his career was on Bespin, Knight Tanna provided him with medical assistance at the time. Her master was killed within twenty four hours of their interaction. Your file holds a more expanded record."

Windu looked over the group again, they were handling this information well, he took a deep breath and continued, "Within a few months of this he began a string of victories, public opinion on him is strong and supportive. His attacks are unorthodox, adaptive and incredibly forceful, in every battle he has been incredibly brutal, few clones troopers survive his attacks. Jedi are captured or killed, padawans are sent back to the temple, knights and masters are sent to a secure facility. We are still working on that front to break them out."

"His military history is also in the files, you can research things further at a later point. We are assigning you an Acclamator class ship to use as a base, you will have five squads of ARC troopers to assist you, alongside this the ship will have a full complement to be used as you deem necessary."

"Now, I'll introduce you all to each other and then leave you to your planning. Master Cavos Hran has already fought your target, Knight Bultar Swan is a skilled combatant and Knight Keelyvine Reus was trained by Dooku himself, the three of them are your combat team, between them they should be able to defeat him in direct combat, however you should all expect to have to join the fight if required. Master Glynn-Beti, whilst a skilled fighter is your diplomatic specialist, she will try to get you through problems with local authorities and supply additional skills in a fight if required. Knight Elia Tanna is your medical specialist, she will try and keep you all alive and has had previous contact with the target, she may be able to get him to surrender but it is unlikely. Padawan Trew Olla is Hran's padawan, he has witnessed Jade fight and may be able to add insight to the situation. He is a skilled fighter and can be pulled in to support any fights that will occur. Knight Rees Alrix, is your evac specialist, she is very skilled in fighter combat so should be able to get you out of trouble and back home. Master Coleman Kcaj will be your contact to the Council, he is in overall command of the mission, if he says abort the mission, then you abort."

Glynn-Beti spoke out, "Why aren't Master Kenobi, Knight Skywalker and his Padawan not here? They have had the most contact with him, surely they would be assets to the mission."

Windu nodded at that, "they would indeed be useful to you, however, the target has interacted with them equally as much as they him. It was felt that he would recognise them through the force and act to counter them, only Master Hran and Knight Tanna are at risk of recognition but we feel it is a very minor risk and as such an acceptable one. Masters Kenobi and Koon have provided their reports as have Knight Skywalker and his padawan, they have all been included in your files."

He looked over them one last time, making sure he didn't forget their faces when the time came. "Your shuttle will pick you up in one hour and your ship will leave immediately upon your arrival. You may discuss your options on route. The ship contains a record of all our data and will be on silent running orders. We have pulled a group of training droids for your use and they will be assigned to your vessel as well."

"Take anything you believe you may need for this mission, you will receive a notice fifteen minutes before the shuttle leaves, missing it will result in you being treated as if you dropped out of the mission."

"Dismissed and may the Force be with you."

* * *

Ahsoka struggled in the bindings, solid and unmoving. "You cannot keep me here." She shouted out into the darkness, "You hear me?"

"Save your energy." A small alien stood in the middle of the chamber, details hidden in the shadows. With a tone of exhaustion it continued, "You have been left to die."

She carried on trying to get free, "Then I will escape." Belief strong in her words.

"Impossible." It laughed lightly, "I have been here for more years than I care to remember." Its amusement clear in its tone as it slowly stepped forward.

With a confidence she did not fully feel, "I am a Jedi." Standing as tall and proud as she could, she looked down on the tiny being. "We don't give up easily."

"Jedi? Huh." It moved in front of her, eyeing her form with interest, "But so young. Where is your master?" Slowly it climbed the frame for the bindings until its face was level with hers.

She leant back, the smell from it rancid and sickly. "He will come for me." The bravado once more back to the front of her mind.

The creature began to lean forward and enter her personal space, "And if he does not?"

Leaning back as far as she could, "He will." The force of her belief strong and sure, the creature turned away from her at her tone, a flicker of pain on its face.

It turned back to her, a sly tone to its voice, "What makes you so sure?" Its breath driving her back in its putrid scent. It climbed up to the top of the frame and with a clinking, freed her from the bindings.

Rubbing her wrists she turned to face it again, with a soft and thankful tone, "Thank you."

"The chains?" The voice came from behind her, the being scratching at its back, "The chains are the easy part." It pointed to its head, "It's what goes on in here that's hard." It began to walk around her, "Don't you see, child? You are alone now." Taking her hand in its own, it began to lead her from the chamber, "If you are to survive, you must forget your master."

Rubbing at her temples, a slight moan of discomfort passed her lips, "I don't think I,,,", looking down she watched in horror as the being bit her, a flare of pain ran through her wrist, "Ow!" Clutching at it, her anger rushed forward at the being, "What have you done?"

It snarled at her, "You are mine now."

She collapsed to her knees, her wounded arm shaking at the burning cold running though the veins. She shuddered and collapsed, her mind fading to unconsciousness, then the sensations came rushing back in. The pain bubbled in her veins, she could feel it spreading within her, tainting, infecting her with every beat of her heart.

Her eyes opened wide as the change finished, her eyes shining yellow in the dark, the dark side boiling within her. Her emotions wild and uncontrolled.

At her core a small fragment remained free, slowly millimetre by millimetre it began to claw back, the dark side being forced to yield beneath its rule. "Rule your passions or they will rule you." The voice echoing within the fragment. A womans voice whispered at the edge of her understanding, "the first step on the path, experience." Then his voice, the great enigma, Evan Jade, "You are not alone." Her eyes changed slightly and within the yellow tiny fragments of her natural blue shone.

* * *

Pre Vizsla looked up as his second in command entered the tent. "You're back. Report."

She removed her helmet and grinned at him. "General Jade will help when we call and will provide extensive forces, he requests that we wait a period of time so he can secure a few issues and then he will assist in taking Mandalore personally."

Pre smiled and with a raised eyebrow to show interest, "His price?"

Bo-Katan looked him straight in the eye, "a strong Mandalore to guide the people and a debt of honour to an equivalent personal value to be paid at a future date."

Pre smiled and focused again on his plans, "Good, soon our people will return to their ancient glory and with the Deathwatch in command, we will do great things. Go. Rest and pass on the good news, I need to modify the plans to account for his assistance."

Bo-Katan smirked at him and left the tent, once helmeted again she grinned. A few twists of the truth but no lies. A Mandalore will rise once more to lead the people, but it won't be Deathwatch's banner flying.

* * *

Knight Tanna knelt in front of the viewport, watching as the light of Hyperspace passed. She turned slightly and gave a nod to Master Hran and Knight Swan as they entered.

Hran stood beside her as Swan stayed by the door. "You asked to speak with us." His voice calm as Elia frowned.

"I did Master Hran, the others are unlikely to agree to even listen to my proposal. I believe we can capture Evan Jade and rescue him from the darkness that guides him."

He turned his head to look down at her kneeling form, "what do you mean?"

She stood and brushed the dust off her robes. "You know what I mean." She looked him in the eye, "we've both met him, talked to him and sensed his presence in the force. I've had a while to think things through. There was a darkness upon him, but I do not believe that it was him at its core."

He nodded and took a seat, "go on."

"When I healed him, I pushed the force into his wounds, for a moment my aura was one with his. He shone so brightly but there was tarnish, he had seen and done much in his life to dull his light, but the core of it, that still burned bright and noble. Then I felt something in his shadow, I meditated upon it later and realised that it was feeding from him, some sort of parasite. I've never seen or felt anything like it, nor have I found any reference to anything similar in the archives."

Hran frowned for a moment and looked over to Swan, she frowned also and then nodded. "I have. There are tales of ancient Sith who could possess others after their deaths, use them as vessels. This could be something like that. There was a note in the file that a large number of force related artefacts are being shipped to him from archaeologists and antique dealers across the galaxy. It's possible there is a link." He bowed his head for a moment, flexing his cybernetic arm in thought. "I will push forward your proposal to Master Kcaj with my full support. We will try and capture him rather than kill him, see if this darkness is truly there or if it is simply his own darkness you sensed. If you are correct, we shall see about banishing it, I can promise nothing, but we can at least make the attempt."

She bowed and smiled at him. "Thank you master, I told him I would help him find someone he's lost, this might be enough to do so and end a danger to the Republic at the same time. I truly believe that something dark guides his actions."

Hran nodded to her as he left the room, "I hope so, I truly do."

Swan nodded her support to Elia and followed Hran from the room.

* * *

Anakin entered the courtyard, there under a withered tree sat Ahsoka as if meditating, facing away from him. "Ahsoka," he called out to her, "Ahsoka, it's me. You're safe now." He looked around watching for the sons return. "Let's go."

"Are you proud of me, master?" Ahsoka's voice clear and calm.

The emphasis on proud seemed odd to his ears, "What? Uh, of course, snips." He quickly scanned the skies again, "Course I'm proud of you." Looking around the courtyard now, the oily sensation of the dark side energies all around, pooling within the heart of the fortress behind him. "Now, let's get out of here."

"He's right," her voice forceful and sure of her words, "right about everything that we spoke of." She stood and turned to face her master. "You must join him." turning meek and playful, "He only wants what's best for the universe." Her head cocked to the side, she smiled at Anakin.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" His voice full of concern as her presence felt… wrong, sickly to him.

She rolled her eyes at him, annoyance flaring within the force around her. "Always with the criticism, master. Never really believing in me, trusting me." She turned away from him, dismissing him from her presence, "Well, I don't need you anymore."

"Ahsoka." He licked his lips, "Ahsoka, listen to me." He reached out, his hand raised towards her. "He has done something to you." Each sentence anger and fear colouring his words more, "Snap out of it." This time more forcefully, "This isn't you, Ahsoka."

"Isn't it?" Her anger flared for a moment before it was replaced with a coiling pleasure around her. "I feel more like myself than I ever have." She stroked her body as if examining it for the first time. Suddenly cold once more she continued, "He asked me to give you a message." Now a flare of amusement ran through her, "He said if you don't join him, he will kill me." She chuckled to herself.

Anakin shook his head, the sensations and understanding of her emotions shining in the force around her, distracting and enticing to him. Denial and protective anger flowing within him, "I won't let him."

She turned and pointed at him, anger in her voice, "Then you will be forced to kill me." Slowly she drew and lit her lightsaber, Anakin shook his head in denial at her actions, his horror flooded the area and Ahsoka drank deeply of it, her smile stretched as she began to truly understand.

She launched herself at him, the blade falling to bisect him. At the last moment he lit his own blade and parried her attack, she began her assault, almost no technique, sloppy but forceful, it was like she was drunk on the power. Anakin fell back blocking and dodging the blows but making no attempt to attack back. The shard within her stretched, itself drinking on the power around her and within, tendrils of its control quickly spreading along her nerves, clearing the taint away as it passed. Her blows became a little more controlled but still sloppy. Her mind fighting itself for control.

Anakin forced her back once more, his strength greater than hers even with the dark side fuelling her muscles. "I don't want to fight you, Ahsoka." Each strike she gained more and more control until she managed to break through his guard with a kick to the chin.

She stood ready to continue the fight as Anakin was disarmed, "And now the student will kill the master."

Anakin slowly rose and reached out towards her, she raised her blade to shield herself when his lightsaber flew to his hand from between her legs. She jumped to try and reach him first but her blow was parried once more, "You're getting ahead of yourself, aren't you, snips?"

"Don't call me that!" Anger burned in her voice, pain flashing in her eyes. "I hate it when you call me that!" In her moment of distraction Anakin span the blade free from her hand, she used him as a launch pad and leapt over him, landing, she caught the hilt.

As Kenobi joined his old student she lit her second blade, she licked her lips in excitement. "Two Jedi." She smiled with glee, "Finally, a challenge." She leapt between them and began to attack, most of her control back to her, the emotions flooding through her in their discordant songs, slowly coming together under her control into a single orchestra of power. The yellow, now mixed with the blue of her eyes, the veins still tainted with the darkness. Clarity was coming to her slowly, the overflowing rush of power telling her she could do anything was fading to a strength and surety of her actions.

Both the Jedi were holding themselves back from hurting her, but she was free of such bindings. The euphoria of truly fighting to her best singing through her veins. For the first time she could use every move, every trick, every idea she had developed against two fighters with more experience and power than herself. The power was intoxicating and exhilarating.

Anakin forced her back with a push, her blades carving the ground to reduce the distance. He quickly glanced back at Kenobi and snarled at him, "Any suggestions?" Panic and fear rising in his voice, afraid of what he might have to do to his padawan if they could not stop her.

"Yes." Kenobi drew the Dagger of Mortis from his belt. "We cut her free."

"What is that?" Anakin asked, confusion at the strange appearance of the metal blade.

"It can kill the son."

Ahsoka snarled at seeing the blade and hearing Kenobi's words, "Where did you get that?" Her voice began to echo with the Son's voice behind her own, the yellow rushing back into her eyes as he brought his power and attention through her. "Give it to me." She rushed forward to attack.

The Father's cry from within the citadel shuddered through the force. "Stop this!" Two figures flew through the glass window above and fell to the floor near the Jedi.

The son stood first, "So glad you could make it to our little party, father." Anger echoing around the chamber with his words. He thrust out and red lightning shot at his father who caught it on a shield before him.

"You will stop this." No pain or exhaustion in the Father's voice.

"You are too weak for me, old man." His other hand raised and more lightning poured forth. "You mean nothing to me anymore."

Ahsoka smiled at her new masters impending victory, the yellow fading in her eyes as the son focused more on his father. The internal light recovered what ground had been lost in the Sons surge, cleansing the damage as best it could, weaving the power within her cells to cleanse her of exhaustion and the damage to her muscles.

The Father was forced back a few inches until his shield collapsed and he flew backwards, smashing into the tree at the centre of the courtyard. The Son advanced to stand over his kneeling Father, making eye contact he then poured more lightning into his victim.

Seeing the Son distracted Kenobi called out, "Anakin, now!" Throwing the blade to the chosen one, but Ahsoka sped through the courtyard, the power singing in her as she grabbed the dagger from the air, landing beside the Son.

As she offered the Dagger to him, the core within her screamed and tried to break free, aware of the danger of the Son, it tried to force her to retreat, to escape, to not be shackled to this things control.

The Son smiled at his latest toy, his hands clasped before him, "Everything has transpired exactly as I planned."

The Father staggered to his feet and looked past the darkness to his daughter, a hand shakily raised towards the Dagger. "You showed them the altar?"

Kenobi helped her get to her feet, "I am sorry, father. I didn't know how else to stop him."

"Give it to me, child." The Sons hand reaching out to Ahsoka, a smile at his impending victory.

Ahsoka turned to look at Anakin, a small smile on her lips.

Anakin reached out, desperation in his voice, "Ahsoka, no."

She looked down and clenched her hand around the hilt. Time seemed to slow in the moment, she could change everything, all it would take would be for her to strike at the Son, she would be free and he would kneel before her. As the muscles in her arm tensed to make the blow a whisper passed her ear, a woman's voice, "not yet, your part is not done this day, this needs to happen."

Relaxing her arm, she placed the hilt in his hand, he raised it to examine the Dagger, a quirky smile on his lips as if amused by its very existence. He stroked the blade and gave it a few passes through the air. "Thank you." He smiled at her and touched her on the forehead. "Your usefulness has come to an end."

Ahsoka's presence in the force abruptly ended as her life stopped, her body collapsed to the ground, her lightsaber falling free of her grasp.

"No!" Anakin's cry of rage and pain echoed around them all, the Son breathed deeply as if intoxicated with the sensation. He rushed forward for the Son to make a small motion and he was knocked backwards.

The Son turned to the Father, a sneer on his lips, "The Jedi have brought me the dagger, and you have brought yourself." He stoked the edge of the blade as if testing its sharpness, "Now, father, you will die." He raised the Dagger and grasped the hilt in both hands, ready to thrust it into his father's flesh.

The Daughter cried out, "Father!" And dove between them, the Dagger punching deep into her back.

The Father held her in his arms, the Son stepped back in shock at her actions, the horror and pain on both of their faces the same as each other's.

The Son looked at his hands, confusion easy to see on his face, his lack of understanding painful to his very being, "Why?" He screamed out, the thunder rumbling above in echo of his pain. He launched himself up and flew into the storm.

Anakin ran to Ahsoka's side, turning her he recoiled as her lifeless eyes met his own.

The Father lowered his Daughter to the ground, removing the Dagger he cast it to one side. "My daughter. What have I done?"

She coughed as she tried to smile, to let him know it was okay. "Do not hate him, father." She lifted her hand to take his clenched one. "It is his nature."

His heart torn by the pain, he whispered, "No." looking down at their clasped hands, "All is lost." Looking up at the tree as it began to fall apart, the white ghostly form shining from the cracks. "The balance has been broken." He looked at the Jedi, "I thought by bringing you here, I would… But I have destroyed everything." He looked back to his Daughter, holding her hand close to his chest, he stroked her cheek as her light faded.

Anakin looked up at him, motioning to Ahsoka, "Can you help her?"

"There is no light." Refusing to look anywhere else as his Daughter was dying. "The evil has been unleashed, and the dark side shall consume her."

"You must help her." Anakins voice was hoarse with pain and fear. The pain of failing his mother mingling with the loss of his Padawan.

"I cannot undo what is done." He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed before looking at the Chosen One, "There is no hope."

"Yes, there is." Tears fell as Anakin shouted at the Father, "There's always hope."

The Daughter's hand rose to stroke her Father's cheek, as he opened his eyes to look at her, she turned towards the young girl, pointing to her, her hand shaking with the effort. He stroked her cheek and she nodded. He clasped his eyes shut for a moment in pain before standing tall, moving before the tree, he motioned to Anakin and he stepped between the two females.

Anakin took a deep breath and opened himself to the force, the Father guided the Chosen One and moved his limbs to the correct position, "Then let my daughter's last act be to breathe life into your friend." Guiding his Daughters energy through the bridge formed by the Chosen One, he felt the shift in the force.

The light flowed between them from the Daughter into the Padawan, burning through the Chosen One, anyone else and they would have failed and been left as a husk, torn apart by the energies involved. Kenobi had to turn away as the light grew too bright to watch.

Anakin collapsed as if the strings of a puppet had been cut. He looked down in fear of what he would see, when Ahsoka coughed and gasped for a breath.

He smiled as he hugged her, chuckling gently to himself, relief in his features, "Hey, snips."

Ahsoka looked around as if she had woken from a great sleep, "What's going on?" She looked to Master Kenobi next to her before returning her gaze to her master.

Within her mind she felt a woman's soft voice humming a lullaby which faded into the depths.

"Uh, not much." He looked away before turning back to her, "It's good to see you." He helped her to her feet, Kenobi returned her lightsaber, smiling at the pleasure she showed holding it once more.

The Father moved around his Daughters dull form, the light now gone from her, "As the balance in this world crumbles, so shall war escalate in your galaxy." He knelt beside her body and took her cold hand into his own, "As my son has descended into the dark side, so have the Sith gained strength."

Anakin clenched his fists and stood tall, "We will stop your son."

"No. You must go now. He needs your ship to leave the planet. You must leave before he can take it."

Kenobi motioned towards the father, "What about you?"

The Father stroked his Daughters cheek once more, his tone sad, "I shall mourn all that I have done." Then his voice turned strong and solemn, "And all that is yet to be." He turned back to his Daughter as the Jedi left, stroking her cheek as his tears fell upon her.

* * *

Harry felt something change, something primal within the universe. He shuddered as a sensation flowed through him which made him sick to his core before it passed.

He looked out upon the stars and wondered for a moment. Taking a deep breath he let his emotions calm and the sensation pass, turning, he left to lead the upcoming battle from the bridge.

With a smug smile, his reflection moved a second later.

* * *

Anhur crawled through the air vents, it seemed stupid to his mind that you would build such air vents into a secure facility as this; it was a weakness to be exploited. Ah well, their loss was his gain.

Maahes was preparing the diversion in case it was needed, the explosion at the power substation would draw a large response and cause power failures across the compound, failures that could be exploited.

Heka waited with a line of sight to the compound, the sniper rifle ready to deal with threats that arose. Once the objective was complete he would deal with any targets of interest that happened to enter his sights in order to draw forces towards him.

He made it to the mid-level offices of the analysts and investigators, there should be a terminal here that could be used, he just needed to find one. Voices from ahead echoed towards him.

"So neither the clones and the police have anything on Senator Chuchi."

Anhur slowly advanced along the shaft, careful to remain silent, the silencing charm at work preventing him from making a noise, the air vent flexing however would alert those below.

"No sir, none of her friends have been contacted, the Pantoran's have received no ransom messages, everyone is talking to their contacts, but nothing has come back yet, it's as if she disappeared without a trace. Forensics have found nothing they can use from the security teams deaths, they were dead for a few hours before we received the alert. We think it's a response to the Bonteri death, I think we're going to find her but I don't imagine it will be a good ending."

Finally at the vent, Anhur looked at the men below, he could see the one behind the desk, but couldn't see the other speaker from here.

The captain at the desk rubbed his face, "this is not good, not good at all. The higher ups are screaming for results, half the senate is demanding results and the other half are demanding better security. The chancellor himself has requested an update on our investigations. I've had three bloody Jedi nosing around offering to assist in our investigations."

"I bet there's a bunch more sticking their noses in without telling us."

"Tell me about it, they cause more trouble trying to help than if they just left things alone. Come on, you can help me explain to the bosses what we don't know."

Anhur waited thirty seconds after the door was shut before opening the vent. If he had an eyebrow he would have raised it at the almost impossible chance he would have overheard that particular conversation in his situation. Part of him wondered if this was some sort of trap or merely what father called luck.

Lowering himself down carefully he connected to the network, the encryption and firewalls were incredibly good, but they did nothing from within the system. He avoided a dozen alarm programs as he delved into the files they held on Senator Mina Bonteri. Nothing, there was nothing here that they didn't already know, he quickly spread to attached files trying to find anything. Count Dooku, he stopped at that name and began to dig deeper into the file in question.

He reviewed the evidence and then downloaded it to a datapad, father needs to know this.

With a signal and a swirl of colour he returned to the Lily and his brothers.

* * *

Ahsoka drifted in her dreams, the hummed lullaby coming from ahead in the mists, following it she found herself in an ancient and dark forest, the trees twisted and blackened with age, the leaves a deep and dark green, blocking the light from above. Here and there a few shafts of light broke into the twilight around her. The mist was low and barely covered the ground.

The lullaby stopped as she stepped onto stone, she found herself at a great crossroad. Opposite her sat three women, each weaving a single tarnished silver thread. Their robes were heavy and hid details from her eyes, within the trees the lullaby started once more, flashes of silvery blonde hair and a young girl in a light yellow dress skipping and dancing amongst the trees.

The four roads were each guarded by a great arch just on the edge of her vision, the mists wreathing them and hiding the details. The sun shone from above directly down, the centre of the crossroads almost blinding in the darkness around her.

The middle woman looked up, long red hair fell around her shoulders from within the hood, "Ah, our guest has arrived. Hello little one, come sit", she motioned to a chair that wasn't there before.

Ahsoka carefully took the seat and tried to see the figures within the robes more clearly.

Long green hair, moving gently of its own accord and almost glowing with an internal shine was all she could see from the right, the left held long brown and wildly curly hair, a hint of a knowing smirk flashing from within. She felt she knew these women, but her mind was foggy and drifted away from the question, it was not important for the moment.

"Who are you?" Ahsoka asked, awe and trepidation in her voice.

The redhead laughed at the question, "we have many names between us, but here we will use that of ancient imagery of a world lost to memory," she pointed to the left, "this is Clotho," then to the right, "this is Atropos, I am Lachesis. Really they mean nothing of importance, but we cannot give you our true names."

"Why am I here?"

"Ah, a much better question. You received a vision from the Father within the crystal caves, a warning of what was to come, an attempt from a meddling old man to have events follow his plans. You have changed since then, do not deny it, we could sense it in you, it's why we came here to speak with you. Now, time is short, and He will know we are here if we do not hurry. Two of your paths are if you follow your master, one is if you walk free and alone, the last is if you follow a friend's guidance."

"Which friend?"

Atropos answered, "one ancient and terrible, great and lonely, loved and alone."

Clotho chuckled, "the one with too many titles for his liking, you already know the answer."

Lachesis continued, "there is also the choice of breaking free, ignoring these paths and making your own, a free spirit in the great song."

"Great song? What do you mean?"

Atropos answered her question, "the song all around, that binds life and the stars, a measured beat of hearts, the beginning and end of all, ask yourself, what does universe actually mean?"

Ahsoka blinked, confusion openly showing on her face.

Lachesis smiled at her, "these are but the paths laid before you, now you have the greatest and most terrible gift for mortals. Choice."

"Might I suggest less sleeping and a little more work?" Master Kenobi's voice punched through the vision and woke her from the dream, details drifting as if they were mist from her mind.

She sat up and shook her head to clear her head. "Sorry, master Kenobi." She shifted until she was kneeling and raised her goggles, exhaustion in her voice.

He smiled at her and offered a cup, "Here, this should help." He watched as she took a sip. "We need to change plans, you must focus on the firing drives. Disengage them."

She stood up and placed the cup to the side, "But I'm almost finished putting this junk heap back together, and now…"

Kenobi interrupted her as he prepared a speeder bike. "Just do as I say, we don't have much time." He pushed the bike ahead of him as he exited the ship.

She shrugged before returning to work, "You're the boss."

* * *

Harry watched as the last remnants of House Kassido's fleet burned. Once again his enemies pride was too great for them to realise the position they were in.

He sat on his chair muttering to himself about stupid Muggles not knowing their place when he got hit by a burst of pheromones, his mind raged against the attempt, with a snarl he turned to tear apart the threat, his magic reaching for the girl before he blinked and calmed down. He had asked her to do that. He sat back in his chair and ran through his meditations to control himself. It was coming more often now, little slips here and there. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, his mental exhaustion bringing old habits to the fore.

Xora remained pale as she waited for him to regain his focus, she had felt something like a clawed hand wrap itself around her throat, she could feel the intent to rip and crush her, to tear the threat apart. The crew had not noticed the altercation, blissfully unaware of the danger they had been in.

Harry waved her forward to stand beside him. When she came to a stop he looked up at her, regret in his eyes. "My apologies Xora, thank you for your efforts, I worry if I would have noticed it in time to reign myself in."

She gave him a weak smile, her heart still beating like a drum in her chest, "It is getting worse, I felt your power hold me that time." With a glance around to see no-one watching she knelt beside him and took his hand in her own. "Is there nothing that could be done? No-one who could help you?"

He made eye contact with her, "Other than Dooku? The only people I can think of are the Jedi, I can imagine it now, walking into their temple, excuse me, but I happen to have some dark and twisted magic stuck in my scar, its making me rather evil, would someone please point me the way to the masters." He chuckled darkly in amusement.

She smiled a little stronger at him this time, stroking the back of his knuckles, her eyes on the scars on the back of his hand. "I don't think that would be the best way, but perhaps we can trick them."

"How? Make them think I'm possessed or something?"

"Well, why not. Soon enough they'll have to deal with you directly, I imagine they would send a team to either capture or kill you. Do you think you could play the part and let them capture you alive, make them think you are possessed, something like that Quirrell man you told me about. Maybe they can get whatever is affecting you out of you thinking it's something along those lines?"

"I think you would have done well in Slytherin, better than most of them there at least," he smiled at her, "what would you advise then?"

"Overextend, give them a hard fight but get cut off from your reinforcements, give them an opportunity to attack, they can't afford to miss something like that. When they come fight them, grandstand enough and then let them hit you or knock you about, act like a normal person, let them wonder. Act well enough and they'll do exactly what you want. Take a lesson from Voldemort, monologue at them, let them think you will escape and they can't stop you. Then when they've gotten the magic out of the scar, escape. Your children can help I imagine."

"And if they try to just kill me?"

"Then deal with them and we'll try again elsewhere. Maybe take a few prisoners and get what you can from them. They might be able to point James in the right direction for the information you desire."

"You know, as crazy as it sounds, I've done a lot more on a lot less planning. Time to act like grievous, merlin, this is going to suck. Do I even have any rogers left that haven't been updated?"

"We can probably get some for you, or find somewhere they're still in use."

He rubbed his eyes for a moment and then squeezed her hands, "let's get started then. You are going to have to be somewhere else, I wouldn't jump into anything I couldn't handle unless it was an emergency."

* * *

Ahsoka remembered little of the last few minutes of Mortis, a great light spreading across the sky burning away the darkness, a faint sensation of falling and the sound of a woman humming a lullaby.

She awoke to Rex's voice on the comms, "General Skywalker, come in." Ignoring the rest of the conversation, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat back in thought of what she had seen.

Fragments of fighting, a dark and twisted music rushing through her veins, fear, anger, hate. Then there was a great and beautiful song, she had felt at peace, serene, almost like she was drifting on the surface of a great sea.

She shook her head and began to help with the prep for landing procedures, humming a strange tune.

* * *

The three brothers sat around the table, the ships autopilot taking them into orbit as routinely as possible. They would have made mistakes and gained attention if they had piloted the vessel directly, better to take it a little slower but manage to escape without detection or notice.

Maahes broke the silence first, "This is worrying, we must tell father this information in person, we can allow no others to intercept it."

Heka nodded, "Agreed, we can trust Xora, all others could be agents of Count Dooku."

Anhur tapped the datapad, "everything we have gathered is here, this is the priority, one of us must deliver this to father, no matter the cost."

The other two nodded at this.

Maahes, motioned towards the door of their guests quarters. "And what of her?"

Heka, waved the issue away. "They will believe her dead until she is spotted, her codes were used in searching for the assassin, they will presume she was silenced by them or was a retribution strike for Senator Bonteri's death. It is unlikely they will expect agents to have kidnapped her and retain her without a ransom being made."

Anhur nodded, "so we are in accord, father can decide her fate, we will deliver the information to him and wait for further orders?"

Heka snarled, "I would enjoy killing Dooku for this, but it would mean facing Set, that I would not approve of, nor, I imagine, would father."

Anhur placed his claws on Heka's forearm. "Calm yourself brother, we shall seek guidance and volunteer to assist him in his retribution."

Maahes reached over and placed his claws on Heka's other arm, "I concur brothers, we must complete the mission first. If we have the time perhaps we could cause some chaos as a minor retribution to the Count, a small thing, nothing too great."

Heka turned to Maahes, "what would you suggest?"

* * *

Ahsoka sat in her room trying to meditate, to clear her mind from the events on Mortis. The few chances to sleep she had brought vivid memories of what happened to her. Other things brought other flashbacks to her attention. The new scars on her forearm looked old but inflamed at the same time, they ached but it was passing hour by hour. The memories of her imprisonment had not been pleasant ones when she saw the marks in the shower.

With a disgruntled sigh, she opened her locker and removed the box, carefully she touched the top of it, a small surge of the force into the desired form, she and watched as it smoothly twisted into its flower shape, the holocron resting within. A touch of the force and it came to life. The image of Krait appeared above it once more, his smile was calm and warm.

"Greetings Ahsoka, what do you seek today?"

Ahsoka sat back and pondered the question. What did she seek?

Krait chuckled at her reaction, "ah, one of those days. Allow me then to pose a question to you. What is the Jedi code?"

Ahsoka frowned and began to recite, "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."

Krait grunted at her, "that is what you have been taught yes, but what was it before that?"

She looked at him, "I don't know, wasn't it always like that?"

"My dear lady, were you always a Jedi, or did you become one, what were you before?"

"Well, before the order I was with my parents on Shili."

"So, you were born, you began to walk, to talk, then the Jedi took you to Coruscant where you became a Jedi initiate, now you are a padawan, you will one day be a knight and much more beyond that. As you have grown and changed, so too has the Jedi order. The earliest mantra that I studied was Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force."

He watched her as she absorbed the information and pondered his words. "To truly understand the force, you must experience it, a wise person understands that they will never know everything, but does not let that dissuade them from learning more. Passions, emotions can aid you, both good and bad. Be serene in the storm of sensation around you, they are part of you, and when you accept that, you come to rule them instead of being ruled by them. Chaos is life, without it nothing changes, you cannot predict everything and to believe you can is hubris, trust in the force, let its song guide you, grow together with it in harmony, do not fight its will. All things must die, that is the way of life, and in death we become part of the force. The very atoms within you are the remnants of stars that died many eons ago, you could spend the span of a life counting them and you would not complete your work. From each of them came a fragment, they gathered together and formed you. A humbling thought is it not? So, now I have given you a lesson and a minor distraction, tell me what bothers you."

She looked at him and sighed, "the masters don't understand. We… experienced something and… it's changed me. I was tainted, corrupted, the dark side was forced into me and poisoned my mind. I said such terrible things, fought master Skywalker, I was doing my best to kill him." A flash of horror ran through her eyes before it faded. "I can't really explain it, you would have needed to have been there to even have a chance of understanding."

Krait smiled at her, "I have heard similar words before, my last student experienced such things that I am unable to imagine them. He stood and fought to the brink of death many times, strong and sure of his actions. But then doubt set in and his strength became his weakness, it took time, but he recovered. You can do the same, use this to look at your life, the path you are taking, see if this is what you want and if not, change it. You are the only one who can make those decisions, no other."

She smirked at him, "I doubt Evan Jade would be impressed if he found out you were giving away his secrets."

"Evan Jade is just a title, the man beneath, he would not be upset with me for the advice I have given."

She quirked an eyebrow at him, curiosity in her voice, "man beneath?"

Krait laughed, "ah, that is a secret you will have to ask him about. Now, I imagine we have time, I have a trick you can use in combat, very difficult, but with your two blades we can practice it. I warn you, this technique could bring about your death if used without caution."

She stood and cleared the room to make space, "I'm ready."

He smiled at her, "Have you ever heard of the technique Tràkata?"

* * *

Xora looked over the list before her, finally she found something suitable and marked the entry. "Montu, this is the one. Return to Eriadu, begin construction there of a suitable home for your father, I've marked the land to use, anyone who is there take as guests to ensure their safety in these troubling times."

Montu looked at the datapad and nodded, "I understand. A home suitable for father. I will begin immediately."

As he turned to leave, Xora called out, "one moment, take this file to the Eriadu shipyards, they are to begin immediately on the construction. Parts will be delivered soon to assist construction. This is to be given to the Company President directly, no-one else is to even know of these until he has viewed them and acknowledged his orders."

Montu nodded, "as you wish", then he left the room.

Xora prepared four more data packages and sent them to the Sluis Van and Sullust shipyards, they are to begin construction of a range of ship parts and transfer them to Eriadu as a priority, once they had completed that list they were to return their focus on expanding the fleet.

The third data package was sent to Annamar for them to begin construction of the next variant of combat droids Harry had designed; they were to be shipped directly to Eriadu upon completion of each company.

The Fourth file was sent to Mustafar for them to increase mining operations and ship the materials to Eriadu and Annamar as a priority.

Xora sat back and smiled to herself, her gift to Harry would take a long time to complete, but she thought he'd appreciate it, and she would definitely enjoy his response to the gift.

* * *

 **AN:**

So good and bad news: good news, I have a new job starting Friday. Bad news this will slow down my writing. So I apologise, but there will be a bigger gap between chapters than there is now due to having to prioritise things. Fear not however, this does not mean I am stopping, just slowing down.

 **Reviews:**

Bluesnowman: Thank you.

Ksecc1: I noticed that a few plot lines hadn't really been set up properly yet and a few fragments needed an end, so this set the stage for sections. I'm glad you noticed improvement in my writing, its nice to hear evidence that my work is bearing fruit on that front.

Guest: Thank you.

Plums: Dooku's luck won't hold out forever, no fear on that front. Harry has idealised Hermione at this point, their reunion won't be the easiest for him.

Ahsanrox: thank you. The major flow of canon will continue, Harry can only mess things up so much :) but things will spin out from here.

God of all: Thank you, don't worry, I'm going to continue this to the end, I have no intention of stopping any time soon.

Orion0905: You will, just not yet. Thank you. Harry's no saint.

Lord of Carrion: Harry has the Nite Owls on side and Deathwatch believing he's on their side. Darth Maul is going to have a very bad day when he tries to make his play on that front. I can't talk much on Dooku's fate due to spoilers. It was a very good scene from the series and I felt it deserved to be included, especially as it would be important to Harry in the long term. In the original cartoons, Grievous was a horrifying nightmare that scared the Jedi. In the clone wars cartoon, he just seemed like he fought for a few minutes and then ran away, not so scary. Dooku is mentioned repeatedly as a master swordsman, plus he's Sir Christopher Lee, no way was I going to let him be sold short in that scene. As for Tarkin, I imagine he's going to develop a nervous twitch whenever Harry gets mentioned from all his shenanigans. Eriadu is Harry's, it belongs to him, his actions will ripple across the galaxy from that single declaration. Talzin thinks she knows more than anyone else in that field, what she actually knows are fragments and attempts to replicate what came before, but she's a hedge witch with some larger toys than usual in comparison to what Harry knows after only a few years of an education.

Ronin Kenshin: Thank you.

Michaelkoc1: Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it and I'm happy that you got what answers I could provide at this time. Talzin isn't a major player in the conflict, but she will nudge a few pieces in her own way. Set's story was written very early on and actually changed very little as things progressed.

Davycrockett100: thanks.

Penny is Wise: Thank you. Dooku hasn't gained Harry an ally but he did return his droid.

Starboy454: Thank you. I am aware of the time issue as from our point of view. I'm just running with the idea that Harry's world is in their galaxy, not our own, so in his case it is his future. Dumbledore is just as much a target for Harry as Voldemort will be on his return, no fear on that. Don't worry about herping on it, I like it when people try and predict things, lets me know what you think will happen. He has knowledge and the drive to use it. That's a bigger weapon against the two dark lords in England and the ministry idiots.

Alex2909: Talzin wants the source of information Dooku has on sorcery, so she will try and acquire it. I don't expect it will go well.

Red Demon161: Dooku even whilst poisoned is a deadly opponent, plus Sir Christopher Lee! Xora and Harry is a simple yet complicated relationship. Mentor Harry is less important with her around as she lacks connection with the force. Mentor Harry will come about more for Ahsoka. The Jedi don't help themselves when they follow the guidance of an individual who is nearly 900 years old and will not adapt to the galaxy, after all he knows better than the children around him. After all he did probably teach most of them. The Jedi are almost a Cult of personality around Yoda at this point. As for ship names, I had not even considered that one, but it does have history for harry that I approve of.

Grayiron: thank you.

Guest: Spoilers prevent me from answering this one I'm afraid.

SSSra: Thank you. He's already on his path back, he just lacks the knowledge of where he is on it.

SrgtHamy: They are very much side line characters I'm afraid, but they will return to the story as things progress here and there. Maul has his part to play as well.

BioHazard82: Thank you.

Capctr: He will return to that year and age on his return. Knowledge wise he will retain everything he knows as well as the force, the only issue for him to begin with would be retraining his body, but there are ways to speed that up. He will return as he arrived is the only thing I can say gear wise, a bit cryptic but I can't really answer much more without spoiling details to come. Time wise before he returns in real time, I have no idea, I'm quickly catching up with what chapters I've already written and am about the start of season 4 of the clone wars, got one and a bit more, then a film before he returns. There's quite a lot of ground to cover in that time. Thank you very much for the praise, I am glad you are enjoying it so much. It's my first multi chapter story I've let others read so I'm very happy with the results so far, even with the headaches it's caused me at times.

Beloved Daughter: Harry is shifting from leader following another to a true leader. Every time he gets a handle on something, someone just throws a large spanner in the works, very frustrating for him :)

Ranmaleopard: Thank you.

Thedwo: Dooku is indeed stuck between being too competent and not competent enough for Sidious' plans so he will survive. He is aware he is really too old now to claim the mantle of master for long should he acquire it, thus he's preparing Harry to take his place as the apprentice and for Dooku to take the masters role as best he can. The problem for Dooku is that Harry is not helping in the situation. As for the time travel issue, Harry will return in his third year, he will in effect overwrite his own mind of the younger Harry on his arrival. The most likely point for his return will be on the train when the dementor causes his reaction. I would have chosen the end of the year personally, but the challenge states the start of the third year.

Mangahero18: Ask and ye shall receive, at least a little :P

Fan01 (Guest): Many individuals will be able to choose their sides in the future, but that is still starting to occur. The star wars side of the story will be ending in the third film, what happens afterwards will either be covered in a sequel or will be left to the audience to decide.

WBH21C: Thank you.

Kyoshi711: The Horcrux is bleeding into Harry's consciousness which is swaying him a touch towards a more extreme response than expected. However he is more willing to do what is necessary to win the war he is in.

Lycan01: Thank you.

Overlord: Thank you, I hope you enjoy it to the end.

Tonphannon: I didn't know about that, must have missed it in my research. Thank you.


	18. Ink Stains

**Chapter 18 – Ink Stains**

Harry watched as his stolen droid factory waited in orbit around the mining world. The refinery already at work as the mining droids swarmed the surface.

A quick scan of the system showed nothing yet.

He sighed as the droids worked around him. He'd already muted most of them, another roger and he'd scrap the lot of them. He grasped at his rage, bringing it back under control, he didn't need an episode just yet.

The legion he had brought with him had hammered at the republic forces, driving them back to a single stronghold, he'd allowed a signal to escape to draw the Jedi in. He had planned on losing badly enough to appear overconfident and having made a mistake that opened the opportunity to get to him. However, he decided to change his plans when the republic practically rolled over and died during the assault. It was rather embarrassing actually.

He'd used a shell company to report findings of cortosis ore on the planet, using some of his meagre reserves for the lure. The republics spies would have heard about it and organised a force to secure the resource. Add in the fact that he had arrived and taken the site, shipping the ore to a ship based droid factory would have definitely caught someone's attention. The final temptation had been the report of him personally overseeing the sites setup. That would imply a small window of opportunity. The fact that the Hermione was currently entering the Senex Sector would be just icing on the cake, too far away to respond quickly, too close to give a large window of opportunity.

He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair again, bored with nothing happening, he got up and entered the captain's quarters curious what passes for entertainment to a Neimoidian captain.

* * *

Master Coleman Kcaj looked at the report he had received. He frowned and looked at it again before passing it to Master Glynn-Beti, she frowned at it and passed it to Master Cavos Hran who snorted in amusement as he read it.

Glynn-Beti waited for Hran to finish before snarling, "Do they think us fools? This is obviously a trap."

Hran nodded, stroking his chin, "Indeed it is, but what were you expecting? An engraved invitation."

Coleman chuckled, "Imagine Master Windu's face at seeing it. I concur, it's an obvious trap, either he is baiting us, or he is so overconfident that he doesn't care."

Glynn-Beti smiled at the image of Master Windu with a formal invitation, "As amusing as it would be, this does not match our understanding of him. It's a trap, but for who?"

Hran looked at her, "Grievous? Even he would spot that it is a trap."

"But can he afford to ignore it? He's lost most of his backing, his failures are compounding and Jade's star is rising at an impressive rate. They want each other dead, both are likely to do it in person. The intel we received is from the internal channels of the separatists, I'd imagine that Jade would have leaked it to the Republic if he wanted us after him." She stroked her temples in thought as Hran and Coleman looked at each other over the Bothans head.

Coleman looked at her, "I take it your suggestion is to use the opportunity to make an attempt on the target."

Hran snorted, "If we're really lucky then we'll have to race Grievous to it, even better would be to find them fighting and get them both."

Glynn-Beti chuckled, "The force isn't likely to give us something like that. No, I suggest sneaking in and striking with an element of stealth, he'll be looking for separatist vessels, maybe even a fleet. He's likely got his own waiting to snap the trap shut."

Coleman looked at her his eyebrows raised in interest. "So how do you suggest we infiltrate the facility?"

Glynn-Beti smiled at him, "Easy, we use a shuttle, jump just outside the system and drift in and dock, acquire the asset and then full burn out of there until we can safely jump out of the system. We make the rendezvous and run back to Coruscant at full speed."

Coleman chuckled, "Ah if only it is that easy. We'll be using the full team, even the support members, we can't afford any mistakes. We'll only have the one opportunity."

* * *

The small fighter dropped into real space on the edge of the system, transmitting CIS codes it entered the deeper system, setting in a course to meet the Hermione.

Hedwig paused his opera and focused his attention on it as it neared, he waited for a signal, interceptors waiting to be unleashed should it be necessary.

The comm channel broke the quiet, "Hermione, this is Set, requesting permission to dock."

"Set, this is Hedwig, permission granted. Fathers docking bay is available. Shift to Krait comm channel."

"Acknowledged. Shifting the frequency."

Hedwig waited for the signal to connect, it had been a long time since he and his brother had spoken. At the connection he encrypted the channel and sent a code phrase, receiving the correct counter he began to speak, "Welcome home Set, why are you not at your post, I was unaware that Father recalled you from guarding the Count."

"The Count dismissed me from his service; apparently I was not suitable enough for his liking. I also bear grave news for Father; I need to supply it directly."

"Father is unavailable, he is on a mission for the foreseeable future. I will introduce you to Xora, Father trusts her, you may report the information to her."

"Negative, I will inform Father only."

"Set, Xora is aware of everything. Father trusts her with his birth name." Hedwig listened to the silence for a few moments whilst he awaited the response.

"Confirmed. I will decide my actions upon meeting her. I will provide a secure data package with the information should I not approve of her. This is too important."

* * *

Harry watched as the shuttle drifted deeper into the system towards the factory ship. They obviously knew he was here, but had decided for stealth. Interesting, well it gave him time to set up the stage, he wanted to make an impression upon the witnesses.

He looked over his plans and nodded, everything was prepared and ready, he'd seen enough James Bond movies to make death-trap's with a way out. Hopefully it would be enough for them to believe he was playing with them. The droids were standard rogers with the basic upgrade, painted in his colours, nothing too much for the Jedi to handle, but enough to keep them from thinking properly about the details until everything was over. It was a pity that it was the Jedi, he had hoped that it would be Grievous who would arrive first. I wonder if he's solved his problem with his elbows yet.

He looked around again, nervous of what would come. With an amused snort he realised he was acting on some of Petunia's habits, if there were doilies around he would have adjusted them.

Being a villain was a lot of hard work.

Harry knelt in the centre of the large chamber, already wearing a copy of his armour, the original safe with Xora. He took a few deep breaths and began his construction of the persona the Jedi would meet. Darth Abaddon needed to be great, superior to all others, terrible beyond mortal considerations. A being who left ash in his wake.

Harry took the core of Voldemort's stance, the promise of pain and violence, as the skeleton of Abaddon. Bellatrix's fluid threat of motion muscled the frame, no motion wasted, everything was a dance to her and it would be for Abaddon too. Snape's sneer bound to Dumbledore's calm confidence, the cold and superior knowledge that these children were no threat to him. He melded in Sirius' knowing smirk and Hermione's disapproving frown as variations to intimidate and frustrate his victims, no, not victims, prey, better. Fragments of Lucius Malfoy entered the mix for Abaddon's hands, controlled, little motion wasted, elegance and surety. McGonagall's glare came next, the look that froze naughty children even as adults. Flitwick's easy footwork, like water, soft enough to absorb damage and strong enough to crush stone to dust. He then wrapped Dooku's presence and simple knowledge that he was better than those around him to bind it all. Letting his magic rise within him, he allowed a portion to leak through his eyes, giving them a luminescence to unnerve those who looked upon him. A random thought rushed through his mind before it was hammered back down, maybe that was the secret to Dumbledores twinkle.

He took a deep breath and let the mask fall into place.

Darth Abaddon rose from his meditations, stretching his limbs as he stood tall, proud and strong, the force gathering around him like a comfortable robe or cloak, he placed the helmet of his armour on the throne he had already prepared, there was no need for it with what was coming, let the rabble look upon his magnificence, let them despair at their futility. He felt almost naked without his wand, but that also remained with the Falleen servant, waiting for his return. With his wandless magic he cooled the air and froze a plane of it to ice, a touch of the force to hold it in place and then a touch of magic to polish the surface, to give it a mirror sheen. Abaddon surveyed the flesh he wore and was pleased.

He negated his spells letting the air return to normal. He sent a message to the bridge, shifting the air temperature to just above freezing in the living quarters, just below freezing for the rest of the ship. He prepared the holo-display at the side of the room, just enough information to get them running around and distracted whilst the true moves were played. The wiping program would begin when they reached about seventy per cent of the file. Not enough for them to realise it was a lie, but enough to cause them problems.

Sitting on his throne he relaxed and waited, soon. They would be here soon. He let himself ponder some poetry he had read once as he passed the time, the arts were important after all, they separated the rabble from their betters.

* * *

Hedwig stood within the cavernous landing bay, the fighter smoothly moving to its designated position. If he could smile he would have, today a brother was returning to the nest, yes a good image to use. Hedwig allowed himself a few seconds to review the latest book of poetry he had examined. The imagery was fascinating, it amazed him how organics had so many ways of describing something so ordinary and still manage to reveal hidden beauty. The Gamorrean's poetry was rather basic but it showed so many hidden facets to their culture, and their operas, such intensity.

Set exited his fighter and stalked towards his brother. Nodding to each other they began to head to Fathers private section of the ship.

Hedwig glanced at his brother, noting the basic repairs performed upon his arms, the cracked and distorted chest plate. "Do you wish to see Xora as you are or do you wish to repair yourself?"

Set didn't look at his brother as he responded, "Repairs first, I shall not show any weakness."

Hedwig cocked his head to one side, "Xora is adequate for an organic, and I like her so make sure you show her some respect when you speak."

Set snarled, "I will show her the respect she has earned from me."

Hedwig replicated a sigh, "Mehen is protective of her, so ensure you behave, I have no wish to clean up after you. Now, I must return to the bridge, I am exploring the Trandoshan hunting sagas during the next shift."

Set stared at his brother as they separated, shaking his head in confusion at Hedwigs oddities, he entered the repair bay and got to work. Linking himself to the ships network, he updated himself with the latest lessons Father had provided for them, he was far behind his brothers on that, but he would catch up as he undertook repairs. He uploaded his experiences to the network, letting his brothers learn from what he had witnessed and the little combat he had performed.

He sat for a few moments thinking of the upcoming meeting, connecting himself to the security records he began to review Fathers interactions with this Xora Hedwig seemed so enamoured with.

* * *

The Jedi had entered by an emergency docking port at the aft of the large factory ship. They quickly discovered the cold of the ship as they progressed, dressed only in robes and light armour to allow quick motion, they began to draw upon mediation techniques and the force to warm themselves.

The group having made it less than ten metres before thirty B1's had swarmed them, all continuously screaming "roger roger!" at their maximum volume. No great threat really to the group of Jedi, but it had put them on edge and hurt their hearing. They thus almost missed the hiss of gas being pumped into the corridor, only the smell alerted them before their lightsabers ignited it and killed them all. They had managed to reach the next bulkhead and seal the corridor behind them.

The acid from the fire suppression system, a corridor with an inch of water and live electrical cables dangling in it, bundles of fragmentation grenades dropped from air vents and the rapidly shifting gravity fields in a hallway full of metal spikes were the chain of traps they came across until they reached the factory section itself. Their meditations ruined by the distractions and threats allowed the cold to hamper them, but the physical exertions kept them warm enough.

In the factory they came across a collection of partially constructed droids coming at them alongside the machinery itself trying to kill them. After a section of the hull blew out and they escaped being sucked into space, they finally made it to the refinery section.

With them all walking along the gantries above the moving vats of metal below, they froze at a loud beep and the panels Trew stood upon fell into the metal below. Hran managed to grab his padawan by the scruff of his robes and stopped his fall.

A second beep came from beneath him and his eyes widened as the section of walkway he was on dropped from beneath him as well. Coleman and Glynn-Beti managed to grab them both with the force and returned them to the safe section they were on.

Coleman snorted, "A rather slow trap, more of an annoyance than anything else."

Glynn-Beti chuckled to herself, "He's been playing with us. These are nothing like he could be doing to us. This factory ship is too large to find him easily and we will have to take our time. General Grievous would be raging by now. The traps would inflict minor injuries and drain his strength, nothing major, but enough to give Jade an edge."

Hran growled as he flattened his fur, "Indeed, a little more care and caution would do us all well", his glare fell on his padawan. Trew glared back in response, embarrassed at falling into the trap and needing to be rescued.

Coleman nodded at this, "Indeed, I believe we shall try this way instead." He pointed to a side corridor leading away from the refinery.

The group moved carefully with all their senses on alert for any danger.

The bulkheads shut behind them and up ahead a collection of pipes began to pour molten metal into the corridor, the glowing liquid slowly cooling as it began to flow towards them.

Swan made the comment for them all, "Oh you have got to be kidding me."

* * *

Mother Talzin searched the force for visions to guide her next actions. Dooku would be coming soon for his vengeance, she knew that already, it was easy to predict him in this matter. Her mind wandered and she saw glimpses of the young children and enough of the adults to rebuild hiding themselves on another world, waiting to return to their home and rebuild once Dooku had sated his vengeance.

A ripple in the force caught her attention, far away on the other side of the galaxy, she spread her vision as far as she could, she felt the urgency of the force in witnessing what would soon occur. The force humming its melodies as a power and the pieces of another moved against each other.

A flicker of brilliant emerald eyes burning with power caught her attention, she searched deeper and found something new sitting on a throne, cold and alone, new and ancient at the same time.

A voice as cold as the void struck her in its indifference, "Go away little raven, this is not for you to witness."

She awoke from her trance, a cold sweat causing her to shiver. Was this the source of Dooku's knowledge? A Sith Sorcerer unknown to her, had he taught Dooku such delicious and lost secrets? Could she afford to find out? Could she afford not to?

* * *

Sidious sat in his own meditations, his guts churning with the sensation of danger rising. He searched for any clue within the force that he could find. Each fragment examined and discarded, nothing of importance so far.

A ripple in the force from far away caught his attention. His interest peaked he moved through the force to witness what was happening that would cause such a reaction.

He found it within the halls of a cold and damaged vessel, another was already watching the events, he could taste her presence. Mother Talzin, no, she was not what he sought here, her own curiosity had drawn her here. She was no threat to him or his plans, they had left each other alone out of politeness, but Dooku would soon see to her.

He hid himself in her wake and watched as the being detected her, he spoke words that echoed around them. He gripped onto the events with as much power as he could afford to use without detection as she was cast away. Sidious pondered the lack of power thrown in his direction, was he missed or simply ignored? Was he meant to witness this?

He lacked information but was pleased by the chance to observe this being at work. He grinned in anticipation for what was about to happen.

* * *

The Jedi entered the chamber, scorched, frozen, battered and bruised, but still calm and strong from the experience. A thin mist hid the floor details; the only light was from the viewpoint. A large window showing the world below. Before the window was a large black throne, silhouetted by the world behind it.

They began to spread out looking for the Sith, expecting him to attack at any point.

From the throne a cold voice came, two glowing green eyes suddenly shining in the darkness, "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore. While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. 'Tis some visitor, I muttered, tapping at my chamber door, Only this and nothing more." The stage set, Abaddon pressed a button and the room was suddenly lit, the shadows dispelled and banished. He stood, letting the robe flow around his armour, guiding their eyes as it moved. It was time to play. "You are not who I was expecting."

Hran stepped to the right of the group as Swan took the left and Reus took the centre, the other Jedi moving into positions to support the main combatants. He began to talk, drawing the targets attention on him, "I take it you were expecting General Grievous then? I do not believe he will be joining us tonight."

Darth Abaddon turned his head slightly towards Hran, keeping the others in view, "It doesn't really matter in the end, you will be good practice for later." The lack of emotion in his voice and surety of himself made the Jedi ready themselves for the fight to come.

Elia stepped forward beside Reus, "Why do this, what about your search? Why set half the galaxy on fire?"

Abaddon laughed at that, mimicking the laughter of Tom Riddle from the Chamber of Secrets, hollow, empty and wrong. "Oh, sweet naïve child, you stand before Darth Abaddon. You believe you came to face General Jade, the boy searching for that stolen from him. No, he is gone now, I rule this exquisite flesh. For your innocence, I shall leave you for last, I shall let you see your friend slay your allies, I will destroy what remains of your innocence and then either mould you to something interesting or just kill you when I become bored."

Elia staggered back, her hand over her mouth in shock of his words.

The Jedi Masters flinched at the thing before them. A quick glance between masters let each know they knew it was a spirit they were dealing with, a powerful one with how the fore hummed with his presence. Coleman moved between Elia and their target, much more wary now. Glynn-Beti joined the line and focused her attention upon the spirit possessing the general. "You will fail, we shall defeat you. You are alone and surrounded, surrender whilst you can."

Abaddon sneered at her, "Surrender? No I think not. You came to slay a Dark Lord of the Sith with only three masters, four knights and a padawan, you are hopelessly outclassed. Now, shall we dance?" At this he drew and lit two lightsabers and moved into a ready stance.

The Jedi each drew their own and began to move when Abaddon surged forward, his blades lashed out to strike Glynn-Beti but were blocked by Reus and Coleman. The group surrounded him and began to attack, the force guiding them around each other.

Abaddon smirked and force shoved them all back, "One moment, you will each have your own turns, fear not. But first, allow me to provide suitable dance partners." At this a swarm of lightsabers flew towards him from behind the throne, floating around him, with a twist of a wrist all eighteen lightsabers ignited and began to attack. Abaddon smiled internally at the success of the array carved on each of them. Animation charms alongside levitation charms with just enough knowledge of lightsaber combat imbued into the crystal to be a threat to his guests.

The Jedi backed off in shock defending themselves from the assault, Abaddon just chuckled as he looked around surveying the fight. He felt the panic flicker amongst them before it was smothered by their training. A stain of hate and anger bubbled away deep within the padawan; Abaddon sent a small surge of the dark side towards the boy, fuelling his emotions.

Hran knocked his two away, quickly he called out a warning to the others, "I have seen this before in ancient records, Darth Traya was said to use such a technique."

Abaddon let his power sing in glee at that, they had taken part of the bait, snapping his head towards the Lasat, "Traya? You know the Betrayers name, so my apprentice survived, if you know her name but not my own." He laughed at that, "Petty child, no matter; you cannot remove my name from history any more than she could." He rushed forward to fight Hran, the two blades spinning away to join other conflicts, "Tell me Jedi, did they not mention me at all? Not even fragments?"

Hran grunted as he blocked Abaddon's assault, "No, you are not even a whisper, forgotten as you will be once more." He moved to bisect his opponent before Abaddon blocked the blow and kicked the Master away, snarling.

"Forgotten! No, I shall be remembered for all time, you cannot forget me now, she mastered but two blades as my apprentice, how many did she master before she fell? Three? Four? She was a mere echo of my power."

Hran began a flurry of blows, forcing Abaddon back towards Reus, each blow was blocked and Hran managed to avoid the ripostes that came back at him, but they came that close to him that he felt the blades heat on his flesh. "If Traya defeated you, what chance do you really have spectre?"

Abaddon snarled as their blades locked, but then grinned as he span away, "I think it's time to change partners don't you?"

Swiftly he moved and stood before Hrans Padawan, the lightsabers having been focused on the apprentice flew across to hold Hran back as he tried to protect his padawan.

Abaddon towered over the Zabrak, "I offer you a gift, child, you may attack me for twenty seconds without me returning the favour, how does that sound, think you can even get close?"

Trew snarled and began to attack, his blows wilder than normal, desperation in his movements after watching his master struggle to fight Abaddon. The fear settled deeper, what chance did he have?

Abaddon dodged every blow with ease, as if he wasn't even trying, drinking deeply of the padawan's fear. Then in a moment that Trew was over-extended, just after the twenty seconds were up, Abaddon simply slapped him across the face. Trew reeled, blinking in shock, wide open, Harry smirked, dropping his lightsabers and began a series of martial strikes at the nerve clusters, amplifying the sensation with a touch of the force and an element of crucio. Hran roared out as Trew collapsed, his limbs numb and spasming as the nerves misfired. Harry ignored the mess of screaming flesh before him and swiftly moved to his next victim.

He grabbed the two blades attacking Coleman as he began to fight him, the lightsabers he had left behind joining the others holding Hran back from his screaming padawan. "Do you see Jedi, you have no chance here. You brought that boy to be slaughtered, the others as well." Abaddon felt a shift in his magic as a lightsaber fighting Elia was destroyed; a quick glance saw her trying to reach the padawan.

Acting as if he hadn't noticed it he continued his attack. Hammering at the Jedi's defences he laughed in the master's face, "You know, I believe I will let you watch those under your command die before you." He struck at the Jedi's shoulder with both blades together, trusting in his timing he turned a single blade off as the Jedi blocked, reigniting it a moment later within the jedi's guard. Coleman grunted as his arm fell to the ground, the lightsaber in the grip still lit.

A sweep of his second blade took a leg from the Jedi master as he reeled back, a spinning kick threw him across the chamber near Elia. He smiled and jumped towards Alrix, the sudden arrival of the Sith threw her off, he simply punched her in the face, as she staggered back from the blow, he kicked her hard in the chest, feeling something give under his boot as she flew back, smashing into the wall behind her. Clutching her ribs and gasping as she tried to breath, her head ringing from the blows, she was no longer a real threat.

Grabbing her with the force, he threw her at Swan, the force warning his target, she span and caught her companion carefully, but took a wound to the leg from one of the animated lightsabers for the attempt. Abaddon readied himself to jump and attack as she tried to defend herself and Alrix when another shift in his magic echoed as six blades were destroyed as they got in each other's way and Glynn-Beti crushed them with the force.

Suddenly Reus was beside him attacking with both her blades, Abaddon raised an eyebrow in surprise, he had expected Glynn-Beti herself would fight him, not allow another to do so. Reus led with a series of attacks, thrusts and slashes trying to get within Abaddon's guard. He parried and riposted back until it seemed as if a wall of light shone between them. He grinned in amusement, "Dooku's student, I see his training in you. Excellent. You at least are a challenge to me." He grunted as she used Tràkata against him, the blow slicing the armour on the back of his wrist. He dropped the blade in surprise as she span, her blade cutting through the falling lightsaber before returning to the attack.

He nodded at her in respect as he summoned a blade into his hand, the force suddenly screaming at him to move, he span to the side taking a gouge in his side to avoid three of his lightsabers flying through the space he had just vacated smashing against the chambers walls. Glynn-Beti was gasping at the effort it had taken to control their flight, the runes fighting her in the attempt. Reus simply sidestepped to avoid them, he felt a flicker of annoyance from her for the attempt before she regained control.

He quickly scanned the chamber, only seven blades remained now. Two were attacking Swan as she was moving Alrix to Elia, Trew and Coleman beside the healer as she worked. Hran guarding the group from three of the lightsabers, the last two were swiftly heading to Glynn-Beti who flinched at the sight.

Abaddon smirked, time to change partners, he quickly threw force lightning at Reus who blocked it with her lightsabers. Already moving, he jumped towards Glynn-Beti as the lightsabers passed her heading for Reus. Looking down at the tired Bothan, he smiled, "Your turn."

He then began to drive her away from the others; he had only a little time before Reus caught up with him. Once he had a bit of space he quickly moved to simply overpower her, but in a surprise she used Tràkata herself in an attempt to bypass his defences, taking a slice across his thigh, Abaddon grinned and shifted styles. Nearly every blow he struck at her with he used Tràkata on, where the other duels were the screaming hum of blades colliding, this one was composed of hiss snaps of the blades collapsing and reigniting, a series of flashes as both dodged blows and struck at openings. Finally age and exhaustion slowed Glynn-Beti enough for Abaddon to finally strike her, she screamed as he almost disembowelled her.

Laughing as he turned back to his other opponents, he blinked as he suddenly flew backwards into the wall of the chamber. He struggled against the force push, straining to move forward as Glynn-Beti used what little of her strength remained to her to try and kill him. He felt his armour buckling under the strain, his eyes widened at the spells failing, his breath being forced from his lungs as the metal crumpled. A tug of his magic and all the blades turned and rushed towards her. Hran surged forward alongside Reus, slashing and cutting them from the air, the last being deflected away at the last moment, the tip carving a line along the bothans muzzle. The pain made her scream and broke her concentration.

Abaddon fell from the buckled wall panels as the force effect collapsed. He quickly tore the armours clasps free and took a great shuddering breath, quickly he scrambled to his feet, one of his lightsabers still worked in his grasp, the other had crumpled under the Jedi Masters power. With a grunt he dropped it to the side, wincing as he felt his finger bones grate against each other.

He pulled his magic deeper under his skin, the glow in his eyes almost gone as he looked at Hran and Reus. He rolled his shoulders and stepped forward, "Well done Jedi, I must applaud your efforts. I shall take you much more seriously now, which of you wishes to die first?"

Elia moved between the other duellists, her lightsaber unlit in her hand, both Hran and Reus tried to interpose themselves, but she jumped forward beyond them, "You'll need to kill me first before you touch them."

Abaddon cocked his head to the side as he surveyed the young woman before him. With a sigh he nodded, "As you wish." He surged forward, a clean blow aimed at her shoulder, the cut would cleave her from shoulder to hip. It would be a quick and painless death if she didn't dodge or defend against the simple attack.

He staggered as he felt his blade blocked by two others and a small hand rested on his unarmoured chest. His eyes met hers in surprise as he felt an immense surge of the force punch into his chest. As he collapsed, his blade stayed where it rested between the two lightsabers of Hran and Reus. Hran carefully reached out and took hold of the hilt and shut it down.

Elia knelt next to the man's form, reaching out with the force to ensure he was still alive. "Oh Evan, what happened to you?"

* * *

Xora watched as the Lily came in to land, a strange fighter sat to one side, Set had obviously arrived then.

As the ramp lowered she raised an eyebrow as the three droids and their guest entered the bay. Stepping forward she gave a formal bow to the senator. "Greetings Senator Chuchi, we are honoured that you are our guest. We have provided suitable quarters for you. I shall guide you there myself. This way."

Motioning as she led the group she kept an eye on the pantoran woman as they walked. Chuchi was holding herself together well, her eyes glancing around but her body language appeared strong and sure of herself. Xora allowed herself an internal smile at the attempt to appear strong.

"I am afraid that the General is unavailable for an unknown period of time, you will be our guest until his return. You will be provided with anything you desire within reason until his return. Then you will be introduced to him and he can make a judgement on your future."

Chuchi looked at her jailor; "I was told that I would be released to a public area without harm if I answered the questions truthfully."

Anhur spoke up, "I am afraid that your codes were used in our attempt to find Senator Bonteri's murderer. We felt it would be safer for you to remain with us for now."

Xora smiled slightly at that, "Indeed, you made a good call on the matter." Turning to the senator, "I'm afraid that during your time with us, your position within the senate may have some problems, especially with recent events. Ah here we are."

Opening the door, she guided the senator within the room. "These are your quarters for the moment, we have provided a wardrobe for your use, you may wander the ship if you wish, but I ask that you stay out of secure areas, Heka will be your guide during your stay." The droid nodded in agreement at that. "You will of course join me for dinner, checking the time, it will be in two hours, so you have plenty of time to freshen up." Smiling she stepped backwards from the rooms into the hall.

Chuchi managed to gather herself, surprised at the quality of her accommodations. "What did you mean by recent events?"

Xora gently smiled at her, "I am afraid that I must inform you that the Pantoran government surrendered to the CIS seventeen hours ago. The Fourth Fleet secured your military assets and every vessel in system. Military and Civilian. We shall discuss matters further at dinner, the latest files are on that datapad over there on the desk."

As the door shut, Xora sighed, "Poor girl."

* * *

Hran tapped his claws against his cybernetic arm as he pondered their guest. Darth Abaddon or General Evan Jade floated within the bacta tank at the centre of the chamber. A medical droid was wired up and observing the health of its charge. The room was bare of anything else other than a chair in the corner for the guard on duty and the air processing unit and power generator at the back of the chamber.

No clone trooper was allowed within the chamber, a Jedi was to be on guard at all times, it required a Jedi on either side of the door to unlock it. The droid couldn't go anywhere and would only do its best to maintain the prisoner's condition; any changes would trigger an alarm to summon Knight Tanna. The room had been sealed off and had only one exterior access point, the reinforced bulkhead door.

Elia stood next to him watching the droid acquire a baseline set of readings for the prisoner.

He looked down at her, "Trew?"

"He'll be fine, I fixed the damage as best I could, the rest is up to him to heal naturally. He should be back on his feet by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, but take it easy with him for a few more days."

"And the others?"

"Rees will be fine, concussion and a few broken ribs. Swan will have a limp for a while and a scar. Glynn-Beti will survive, the bacta will do a lot of the work but she will need replacements for her intestines and a kidney. Kcaj will require replacement limbs, there was nothing I could do about that."

"So," he pointed at their prisoner, "what did you actually do to him?"

She looked up at him, "Officially I have no idea what you are on about. Unofficially, Morichro. He won't wake up until I reverse the technique, basically I forced him into a force coma that requires knowledge of the technique to break, and only from an outside presence, he can't wake himself up. The bacta is to repair the damage and keep him alive, he requires food, water and oxygen to survive still, even if his requirements are much less than if he was awake. It also keeps the others from doing anything untoward."

Hran frowned, "None of the others would do something like that to him."

"Really? Are you so sure? Anyway, I'll wake him when we have that spirit out of him."

"Can it escape?"

"No, it's in control of the body, as long as we keep him like that , it isn't going anywhere without help."

"You know that even if it works and we get it out, then he'll just be put on trial for his crimes, at best he'll be put in a cell until he dies of old age."

She frowned, "I know, but I'm not going to let anyone kill him without at least trying to get that thing out of him. No-one deserves that."

* * *

The Sluissi ship landed in the docking bay, Xora stood ready to greet Harry's guests. Mehen and Sirius at her side guarding her.

She watched as the heavily robed figures undulated down the ramp, as they reached the bottom she stepped forward.

"Greetings, General Jade is not here at this time, you are to be treated as honoured guests until his return."

A young Sluissi female in simpler robes moved forward beside the lead male, with a slight bow she began, "My master thanks you for your hospitality, we know of… the generals current journey. We are honoured to wait until he returns to his metal clutch and one of his mates."

Xora blinked at this as she felt the droids shift at the female's words. "Yes, well. If you would follow me, I will lead you to your quarters until the Generals return."

Leading the group of three older males and the young female through the ship, she wondered what exactly she was meant to do to keep them entertained. And how in the name of the force did they know about her private life?

* * *

Harry's mind cleared from a fuzzy mess almost instantly. Opening his eyes he found himself laying on his back with a blue sky above him. "Well that didn't go exactly to plan."

With a groan he managed to stand up in a dark forest, the light from above almost like a torch's beam in the darkness around him. He took a deep breath and staggered as he recognised the location. He looked at the stream flowing through the clearing, the last time he saw it, the place had been covered in frost and rot. Slowly he turned and began to walk up the path towards the sanctuary above.

With a thought and a blink he found himself at the great doors of Hogwarts, he raised a shaky hand and opened the way, stepping in he found himself in the entrance hall.

In the distance he could hear the echoes of children running around between classes. He looked around, the paintings on the wall showing images of his memories. He smiled at a few and frowned at others.

At least here, no-one could hurt him. He smiled slightly as he looked over what his subconscious had built for him. He really had a lot of issues if Hogwarts was his mindscape.

Wandering the halls, he soon found himself in front of the doors to the library; he reached out and froze as he heard her voice humming a favourite tune of hers.

Recoiling he began to wander the corridors.

He was not ready for that, not yet.

Letting his mind drift he found himself at the entrance to the trophy room, with a shrug he opened the door and stepped inside. How bad could this room be?

* * *

Xora sat at her desk, looking up at the intimidating figure of Set, one of the droids she hadn't met yet. She was sure he was glaring down at her. "So I have been informed that you have been released from the Counts service."

Set simply stared at her for a moment before answering, "Yes."

With a raised eyebrow she matched his stare as best she could, "Anything else to mention?"

"No."

Xora sighed and took a deep breath, "Okay; Hedwig informed me that you wished to talk to me about something important."

"Yes."

She clenched her hand in frustration for a moment before bringing herself back under control. "Then please, by all means, let's talk. What appears to be the problem?"

"You."

"Me? How am I the problem?"

Set seemed to loom slightly over her and clenched his claws. "You are trying to steal Father. You are trying to stop him from finding Mother."

Xora blinked in shock. That was definitely something she hadn't expected and it was the first time any of Harry's droids had referred to Hermione Granger. Mehen stepped forward a hand reaching out to pull back his brother. Xora raised her hand to stop him. "No. Let Set say his piece, I think I need to hear this."

Mehen shrugged before stepping back, but she noticed that his sensors were focused on her rather than his brother.

"I have checked the security recordings since your arrival, you are Falleen, I have extensive records on your biology, your species has the ability to manipulate others with pheromones. You are a female of slightly above average appearance. You initiate human mating ritual behaviour with Father at nearly any opportunity. You focus his attention on you. You have manipulated him and are attempting to prevent him from completing his goal of returning to Mother."

She looked up at him and took a deep breath. "By mother I presume you mean Hermione Gra…"

"Do not speak her name! You are not worthy of speaking Mothers name." The boiling anger in his words and the claw pointed at her forehead made her freeze in fear.

Mehen spoke out from his post, "Brother…"

Set flinched and stepped back, his hands clenching and unclenching repeatedly. "Apologies, that was rude of me."

Xora swallowed before responding. "Accepted," she took a deep breath and held it for a moment until her heart stopped trying to escape her chest in fear. "You are obviously very defensive of… of your mother. I can appreciate that, I will try my best from saying her name around you, but you need to know that your Father and I talk about her and his past quite often."

Set growled at that before nodding in acceptance of her words, his head lowered, looking at his claw tips rather than her.

"First of all, I shall never stand in the way of your Father's research; I want him to succeed as much as you do. Now, I like your Father very much, but am well aware of his feelings to, to your mother. I let him know I was interested and let him guide how we continue. I am aware that I cannot provide him an heir; I have informed him of this. He will need one soon; therefore he will need to enter at least another relationship unless he finds your mother and can return with her. I do not wish to fight with you, it would hurt him if we did." She raised an eyebrow in surprise at Set's flinch at that.

The words were almost whispered, "Promise you will not hurt him."

"Pardon?"

Set looked back up at her. "Promise me that you will not hurt him. Father never breaks his promises, if he trusts you, then you must be the same, promise."

Xora blinked a few times, "Very well. I promise that I will do my best to never hurt your Father unless he orders me to do so."

Set growled at that for a moment before looking to Mehen who nodded, "Very well, I accept your promise."

Xora smiled at him, "Now, is there anything else we need to talk about?"

Set shrugged as he pulled out a datapad that had been hidden in his chest compartment and dropped it in front of her on the desk. "I don't like you, but Father needs to know about this. You promised so you need to know as well in order to help protect him."

* * *

"Master Windu, this is Master Hran. I am happy to report that we have secured the package, we will be arriving in approximately six hours. We will require a secure facility to hold the package until it can be appraised and cleansed of any residue. I await further orders."

Hran sat down and waited for the response, the other masters were still recovering from the battle leaving him in charge. He wondered what would be done now, even with Swan on the team they had been intended to kill Jade, not capture him.

Speaking of the Demon, Swan entered the secure comms room. "Any news?"

"None yet, I've only just sent the message, if he's busy I would imagine we would be contacted soon after entering the system, if not, then I imagine it will be rather quick."

"I don't like this, it felt wrong, almost like a play."

"He looked at her in deep thought for a moment, I know what you mean, but we will just have to remain cautious about our guest. Do everything we can to make sure he stays contained and quiet. We need others with greater knowledge to examine him before we can act one way or the other."

She chuckled to herself, "Can you imagine how the Council will react to this? Do you think this is Dooku's master?"

"No, Dooku serves another. This Abaddon appears to be much older than expected, the galaxy has changed too much since his time. Have you studied the war against the Sith Empire about four thousand years ago?"

"Not really, it never seemed important to me."

Hran grunted, "In this instance very important. Darth Traya was one of Darth Revan's masters. If Abaddon really was her master, then we must be very careful, we must look for plans within plans. Every action and event has hidden meaning. Also I would ignore the information we acquired from his vessels systems, I imagine that it is a collection of misdirection and half-truths."

She looked up at him with a confused look, "You think it was all an act? Why would he do that? Why let himself be captured like that?"

Hran opened his mouth to respond when the console lit up with Master Windu's response. "Huh, interesting." He turned to Swan, "I do think we have been played in this. I think he needs us for some role to play, some action that needs to occur for his plans. And captured? Whatever gave you that impression? I believe we are delivering him exactly where he wants to go."

"What do you mean?"

Hran motioned to the screen, "Our orders are to prepare the package for delivery directly to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant."

* * *

Xora authorised the message to be sent directly to the Count, "Let's see how you handle this," she muttered before placing the pad in a pocket and looking up at the droids standing to attention in the room before her.

Calming herself, she began. "I have some important news. The plan is a success so far. The Jedi have taken your Father captive and are transporting him back to Coruscant. Now, I require a team to be in place for when he needs to be extracted. James has already been informed of the mission, he will be team leader for this."

She looked over the group, they all seemed agitated and all showed little nervous ticks she could recognise belonging to Harry. "Now of the seven of you, I'm asking for four of you to be the team to bring him home, so who will go?"

The looked amongst each other and made small motions and hand signals, a low hum of coded speech filled the room as they debated between themselves.

Set, Sirius, Anhur and Mehen stepped forward.

She smiled at them, "Excellent. Your orders are simple. Take the Lily, go to Coruscant, find your Father and bring him home."

* * *

 **AN:**

Apologies for the long delay. October officially sucks and still half of it to go.

The job is good, looking at being made permanent by Christmas if all goes well. On the bad front my PC died a horrible and thorough death, the drive I had all my notes on is deader than the Dodo. So I am having to rebuild everything. Its odd reading your own story for details to make sure I'm not missing anything I may have forgotten. It also cost me four chapters of the story that were almost finished. On top of that, my granddad has died which has thrown me a curve ball I wasn't expecting. My current focus is on my family rather than writing, so things will be erratic for the moment.

For all the fans of the story, fear not, I'm not stopping; I just need to gather myself and recover from the problems. I'm a good chunk through rebuilding Chapter 19 at the moment, more will follow.

 **Reviews:**

Penny is Wise: As a cast away character from the comics, I've got lots of room to play with her. Strangely she's become one of my favourites.

Esparza3368: I have two seasons and a bit plus a film to cover before earth, however large chunks will be skipped over as they are filler episodes and not relevant to this story. My own plots will expand things a little, but I don't imagine it will take another 20 chapters to get to earth. But I could be wrong, George r. r. martin was contracted for 3 books, look where we are now :) although I've been waiting for his next book for years and wouldn't want to inflict that on my own readers.

Lord of Carrion: The chosen one prophecy isn't the only one he's valid for either, which is what inspired me to take up the challenge in the first place. It was less the daughter's death and more the sons rise in the balance which nudged things with harry. Between them and a few others, they know much too much for the Sith's plans to go correctly. Harry will not be impressed, and that is most definitely an understatement. Harry through Krait is opening Ahsoka's eyes to what the Jedi blind themselves to, what she does later is her own choice. Harry isn't free yet, but soon there will be a show down. Mace Windu is not going to be happy when he finally gets to look at the entire picture of what's happening. I hadn't actually planned as such, but I might just borrow (blatantly steal) that idea, at least in addition to what I've already written.

Indecisive Bob: Thank you. Sections are weaving to a close, others are merely set up for later. Its sometimes rather exhausting to make sure all the plots are neat and covered, I really hate it when I miss something along those lines by accident.

God of Vampires aka Alucard: I believe you have your answer above. :)

Davycrockett100: Thank you.

BioHazard82: Thank you.

Thedwo: Thank you and you are welcome. The only one he has had actual relations with in the story so far is Xora. At this point he is aged 18 or 19, to his mind, Hermione is the focus of his drive to return, but he realises that she would likely think him dead and will have moved on in her life. He believes that time passing is the same in both locations, he is also fully aware that it will take time for him to return to earth when he finds its location. All he wants is for her to be happy and if she died in the battle to avenge her death on her enemies. Xora sees things a little differently, but this issue will come up later in the story, also remember she isn't human and has cultural differences. There is also the factor that he's getting tired of the search, each time he hits a dead end (real or not) it hammers at his resolve. Many would have given up by this point, he hasn't.

Stallion6 of Deviantart: Mostly canon indeed, but there are important fragments scattered within that are needed for later.

Red demon161: Thank you. I know the cartoon is for kids, thus the badguys always lose in the end, but I wanted to use that in the canon and tweak it with the grand manipulations behind the scenes the players in this game are capable of. Note that Xora's family are currently alive as what happens on Falleen hasn't occurred yet. Also note that the falleen have a distinctly longer lifespan than humans, thus she looks younger than she is in human equivalent.

Kaioo: A chunk more of that above and in the next few chapters. Both the light and dark corrupt in their own ways. As for something a little more balanced, that will come and more.

Kingraven1138: In this story Mina Bonteri is dead, killed under Sidious' orders by Dooku's agents. Ahsoka won't be leaving until she is suitably betrayed by those she trusts.

Arashi - IV of VI: Thank you.

Shadowsmage: Thank you.

Starboy454: Thank you.

Yami-Guy: No fear there. Harry will change a little from the experience, but the majority of this time it's been him with a few nudges and anger issues from the Horcrux. He's got a little angst in him, but that would be expected in his predicament, but I dislike the angsty harry and after all, he's already gone through things, so he's going to be much more focused upon his return. Unfortunately time travel is involved with the story, and I would understand if you didn't wish to read about things on his return to earth. But each chapter I write nudges me to continue things with the galaxy he leaves behind if only in a separate story.

Alex2909: Things will progress, but not really to anyone's plans. Ahsoka's tale is interesting to me and I enjoy writing her snippets.

Neon1311: I hope you enjoy how that will flow. Two of them are as is the girl in the woods. The third is someone Ahsoka has met but harry hasn't.

Ranmaleopard: Thank you, I'm only two chapters ahead at the moment and am nudging things around in them, 19 is giving me a headache at the moment. Real life sucks, but work pays the bills. Thank you and I should be fine with the job.

Michaelkoc1: I've had the idea for the jedi helping him from day one but had to find the right moment to use it. It won't slow by too much, I want this to progress smoothly and not have to be reread when I release a new chapter so people can remember where they were. Thank you.

Ksecc1: Hermione in the fifth year as she is and has experienced, then if she knows what has happened during his journey, then yes, major issues will occur. However this is the girl who's first plan to distract a teacher was to set him on fire, led a woman who hates halfbreeds into a forest filled with centaurs who hate wizards and witches, plus knows what centaurs did in the greek myths. She has done some incredibly dodgy things in her past when suitably pushed. Admittedly, there is the scale of these things, but Harry has been specific in his targets and forced his followers to do the same. Dark and nasty, but the innocents are protected. Hermione is going to at least listen when he tries to explain why he did what he did, if he tells her in full.

Humo146: he's on my list of problems to resolve, there was something about a dark lord mentioned somewhere…

Guest: Harry is actually avoiding innocents as best he can, soldiers, warriors who understand and fight him are valid targets in his mind. Dumbledore manipulated and withheld information from others which could have saved lives. He sat back and did nothing that we are aware of in a war with a dark lord and then led a group but ordered them not to kill or truly harm the deatheaters in the second. Harry is reasonably open and only holds back information that is private to him except with those he trusts. He wants a just and honourable government to protect innocents and is doing his best with what he has to make that happen. History is written by the victors, Churchill is known as a brilliant and important leader in World War 2, but some of his plans and actions are horrifying but affective. As for Anakin when he becomes Vader, to begin with he was confused and manipulated and his anger ruled him and drove him to horrible acts, then later he did things which were on a scale much more darker and monstrous but that was with full knowledge and understanding of his actions. Harry also believes he knows why the Jedi are like they are, he's actually trying to help a few who seem worth his help. He could do more, but why aren't they asking why they are doing things like they are. No-one's hands are clean in war.

Trife: I guess I hadn't noticed that issue. Admittedly I don't have much written for those sections where she would find out, so I'm not exactly sure at this time. I hope to write things well and show the development without forcing things beyond a natural flow. As for little white lies, people have lied all over the place, not everything told is fact or true, everyone has their own agenda.

Emperor Vanquest: Thank you.

Mangahero18: Thank you.

Beloved Daughter: Thank you. It will be interesting to say the least, plus the number of interested parties will make holding Harry novel for all involved. Other than that, spoilers :)

Rvb: I'll look at adding details of the names for each of the characters as they appear in the future and will at some point try and go back and catch all my errors as well as update the chapters for character names as they appear.

Grayiron: Thank you. Unfortunately those are for starcraft not star wars. They are more powered armour than robots, but no, Harry wouldn't see the point to them at this time.

Ahsanrox: a fight definitely, hopefully you enjoyed it.

SSSra: I hope the fight was to your tastes :) The answers to that will come in the next few chapters.

Ksecc1: It is indeed assumptions, she knows very little but believes she knows more. It was a setup chapter, unfortunately you need those, hopefully enough happened above for your tastes. Thanks, its going well so far.

Apex113: As I read the books, I saw a relationship building up until suddenly in 6th year the dynamic suddenly changed for no reason. Molly's mention of Love potion to get her and Arthur together did not bode well in my mind. There are only two girls in the books who see Harry, not the boy-who-lived, Hermione and Luna. I saw friendship and trust with those two. Fleur is a beautiful and talented witch who gets a bum deal with the tri-wizard tournament, she had little real contact with Harry, yes they could have a relationship, I've read some brilliant fics over the years with them together. As for him being able to resist the allure, one he is strong willed and can resist the Imperius Curse, but if you look at the quidditch world cup, its Hermione who jolts him out of the effect from the mascots. Daphne is a open book for the fanfics, again some very good stories out there with that pairing, unfortunately there was no interaction between them outside of her following draco around. Susan Bones is again a minor character, she is also someone who wore one of the badges in the 4th year, not a good first impression. Cho is just awkward for him, yes he had a crush on her, then there was the cedric issue, but part of me wonders how much interaction she had in the bullying of luna. As for ginny, she's a brainwashed fangirl who fixates upon harry to an unhealthy level, probably not helped by having riddle in her head in her first year and received no help to overcome that. Dumbledore: "I'm sure a trip to Egypt will fix the year of abuse and mental torture she went through."

C. : Thank you.

Zane Tribal Tyne Alexandros: I'm not sure how to respond to that one.

Lycan01: Thank you.

Jc (Guest): Thank you, I'm glad you are enjoying it. The shields are expensive and bulky otherwise everyone would have one, the rune arrays are not. The protection from the array will work against a blaster, fear not, it's just not been shown so far, or more accurately survived so far, it protects against lightsabers too :)

Link01742: Thank you.

Alucard-Masters: I hope you enjoy the latest instalment :)


	19. Even Death May Die

**Happy Samhain, All Hallows Eve or Halloween everyone!**

Thank you Calimora for being my 1000th follower :)

I must say I never imagined getting such a following, so thank you everyone.

Anyway, on with the story.

* * *

 **Chapter 19 – Even Death May Die**

Harry looked around the cathedral like chamber, banners and trophies on display, markers of his victories throughout his life. An obelisk covered in wands stood guard on one side of a stand which looked like an altar, on the other side an obelisk with lightsabers upon its surface. The stand was large but only held Riddles Diary upon it, not even at the centre of the display but to one side of it, it felt like it was waiting for something important to fill it.

Moving on further he came across a scorched clone trooper's helmet with the number Ten Thousand written in blood on its forehead followed by the tri-wizard cup filled with blood sitting on a black and yellow cloth. The guilt gnawing at him made him feel sick so he left the chamber as quickly as possible; even Voldemort hadn't killed as many as he had. Now that was a damning thought.

Taking a deep cleansing breath, he continued wandering the halls of the castle, looking in every door he came across, one of the courtyards held a tree upon which a flock of birds sat, each one singing in a different language that he'd picked up through the rings enchantment burning the words into his mind.

Each classroom held his knowledge of the appropriate subject within, the walls lined with objects representing the information. Here and there were oddities, he frowned at a few pieces when he noticed them. They felt older, things he had yet to study, a few had slight ink stains upon them, a trail fading into the shadows behind them.

Within the potions classroom, it was much more obvious than many of the other rooms. Rather than the ingredients and such lining the walls, here the finished potions sat at the condition he was capable of attaining. He turned at the centre of the room, searching them for those he could remember learning at school, with Snape as a teacher, he knew barely enough to pass the exams with a few extras he'd picked up from his adventures.

There were too many potions.

Why exactly did he know how to make Veritaserum, Amortentia, Felix Felicis and the Drink of Despair? He didn't even know of the last two, and Amortentia made him angry to even look at for some reason. So how did he know the steps required to brew these and more?

He stopped and began to wander towards the great hall. A place to gather the entire school, it should hold some clue as to why he knew things he shouldn't.

* * *

Master Kenobi sat looking at the other members of the Jedi Council around the chamber, confused as to why they had all been summoned to attend in person. Something was wrong, his guts had been churning all morning as he travelled, his instincts on edge as if he was about to enter a very difficult negotiation. He turned his head slightly to look at the ones who had summoned so many. Master Yoda looked in deep thought, his walking stick tapping at his foot, displaying his unease, Master Windu looked calmer than he had in a while, much less strained than recently, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

As the others glanced at each other as the last member arrived, they were all surprised when Master Yoda sealed the room for their privacy.

Windu stood and looked over his peers before speaking. "Members of the Council, you have been summoned to discuss a matter of grave importance and to decide on the best course of action to be taken." He took a deep breath before continuing; "General Evan Jade has been captured and is currently held at a secure location." At the mutters and gasps of surprise he spoke a touch louder to speak over the noise. "He is bound within the greatest security we can provide at this time without the assistance of the Republic. Due to his nature as a Force User and a Sith, we are here to judge his crimes and decide what action to take. This is an internal matter and should be handled as such."

Master Yoda spoke out, "Evidence varied it is. Jedi on his behalf wish to speak. The force silent is. Decision ours is to make."

* * *

The Lily landed on schedule, the routine with the dock master completed without trouble.

4 large crates were shuffled onto a speeder and transported to a distribution warehouse.

As they were about to be transferred to a facility on the edges of the factory district, the control system screen flashed and altered the delivery address. The droids at work weren't capable of considering the issue and followed their instructions. The crates were re-marked for the new delivery to the Jedi temple and sent on their way.

James disconnected from the network after completing his work, the Programs left behind would alter the records and make it appear the crates were lost in transit. A report would be filed with law enforcement who would find nothing. The records would be wiped and the Programs would hide in the depths of the system until they were needed again. The droids at the facility had an automatic memory wipe each midnight to ensure efficiency in the workers, so no evidence would be found through them.

If he could smile he would.

Things were going to plan.

He had the ancient records waiting with another set of Programs in the library. The ritual was obscure and practically unknown. It had taken him months to find it, a veritable eternity for someone of his capabilities. A few alterations to the text and the Rite of Union was renamed the Ritual of Cleansing.

James nodded to himself as he returned to his duties in the library, waiting for the notification of his Brothers arrival. Father needed every edge he could acquire, the power and knowledge within the guest entity would help him grow beyond his current limits.

The Jedi Healer who was involved in the case had made extensive notes about his condition and would confirm her research before making any final action. The discovery of the file would be a lucky event, likely attributed to the Force. Father and his guest were in a form of stasis within his flesh, there would be no issues he could foresee with the minor change of plans.

Father would be stronger and a step closer to being free. A major step closer to returning to his home.

He would be pleased with James' initiative on the matter.

* * *

Sidious glared down at his apprentice's image, "You are sure of this?"

"Yes Master, the information came from a secure source."

"And what exactly do you wish for me to do?"

"Allow me to recover my general from the Jedi. I can publically negotiate with the Republic and send a strike team to recover him for when negotiations fail. They shall be embarrassed and the Senate will grow in fear that we can strike as and when we wish."

Sidious pondered his apprentices request, "I shall allow you this gift Tyranus, but there will be a price."

"Master?"

"When you destroy the nightsisters, I will require ten healthy and fertile females of breeding age. I will provide a location for them to be delivered once I have received notification of their acquisition."

Dooku frowned but nodded, "As you wish my Master."

Sidious cut the link abruptly before triggering another.

"Your target is in the hands of the Jedi, it will be obvious who he is. Acquire a full range of genetic samples and then ensure he doesn't survive the rescue attempt by Tyranus."

Cutting the comms without waiting for a response, he smirked as he opened a link to a different agent.

"My Lord?"

"Contact the bounty hunter, I have work for him. I am transmitting a file, the target is to be killed and the Jedi to be blamed."

"As you wish my Lord."

Now standing in the silent room he allowed himself to smile. Dooku had been played by an ancient spirit, that much was obvious, but he would be brought back into the fold, the Jedi would be publically blamed for everything and he would have the resources he desired for his future plans. Today was a good day.

* * *

The hall was immense, much grander and greater than before, the roof showed not the weather but rather an image of the galaxy, slowly spinning in its journey. The stars were coloured by alignment. Red to the CIS, blue to the republic, yellow to the neutrals and green for the worlds he'd conquered. He noticed that the green was spreading to the neighbouring worlds. Those worlds he'd personally visited were brighter than the others.

Bright sunlight came through the stained glass in the windows on the right side of the hall, moonlight through the left side. Each window on the right, portrayed a defining moment in his life, slightly stylised but recognisable to him. The image of him fighting the Basilisk looked much more dramatic than he remembered it being. The left side seemed indistinct and grimy, dark stains blotting the details within the glass.

At every table sat an immense number of people, most were faint wisps, grey and uninteresting with little to no detail, blending into each other, but here and there sat others, much more solid and vibrant. There were hundreds of individuals sitting at the tables, all having some part to play in his life that was important enough to remember them.

At the head table sat others, these the most defining people of his life. Voldemort, Dooku, Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, Mina Bonteri, the Dursley's, Sirius Black, Xora, Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, James and Lily Potter, Ahsoka Tano, Arthur and Molly Weasley, Mad Eye Moody who kept blurring into Barty Crouch Junior.

Draco and Ron seemed fainter than the others and were sitting on the ends of the table, as if about to drift away, he chuckled to himself, apparently neither Draco nor Ron were really all that important to him now.

Behind them, standing to attention and guarding those most important to him, stood his Children, James stood in the centre, the lost three standing with their brothers but covered with a funeral shroud.

A polite cough from behind him made him freeze in shock.

He slowly turned to find someone wearing his armour standing in the centre of the hall, the man removed his helmet and Harry was surprised to see a healthy looking adult Tom Riddle with green eyes like his own, luminescent with power.

"Hello Harry, I am Darth Abaddon and I believe we need to talk."

* * *

"Yes?" Cad Bane drawled in his croaky voice as the connection was made and the generic human face appeared. It was fake as was the voice; a fractional delay in speech and facial motion gave it away. He shrugged the issue away; he'd dealt with others like this before.

"Cad Bane. I have a job offer for you. High danger, high pay."

"Details?"

"On acceptance of the offer only, if you declined after receiving the Intel you would have to be terminated."

"That will cost extra."

The human nodded, "Of course, the bonus is included within the pay already."

"How much for the job?"

"Five million credits."

Cad blinked in surprise. "Five?" he hummed to himself as he tapped his fingers on the butt of his blaster. "I need a touch more information before accepting. Level of danger? Acquisition or removal? Location? Will I need to organise my own extraction?"

"In order, very high, removal, Coruscant, yes. Payment will be split half before, half after. Failure is not recommended."

Cad nodded, "How big a profile do you wish the removal to be?"

"Quiet. This is one of the jobs requirements."

"Make it ten and you have a deal."

"Done", the human agreed without debate. "The target is General Evan Jade, currently held as a prisoner within the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. You are to infiltrate, terminate him and make it look like the Jedi killed him. Your extraction is in your own hands. Second payment will be made on confirmation of his death. Payment will be made in a manner of your choosing. There is a time limit I'm afraid, you have a few days at most before he is transferred to a much more secure location. I am transmitting files on the target."

Cad chuckled to himself, "Lucky I'm on Coruscant then isn't it. Any rivals for the job?"

"None that we are aware of but expect opposition. Heavy opposition."

"I always do."

* * *

General Grievous stood at rest on the bridge of his ship. With a gesture one of the B1's connected him over the holonet.

The female Zabrak raised an eyebrow at the sight of him, "General Grievous. How may the Ragnar Syndicate help you?"

"I wish someone dead, apparently you are the best credits can buy for that type of work."

"We like to think so. I am surprised that you would come to us; your reputation would suggest a more personal approach for your enemies. May I enquire as to the target?"

"General Evan Jade."

The Zabrak frowned. "My apologies General, but I will have to decline your request. The Ragnar Syndicate will no longer take contracts upon that target."

"Twenty Million for his confirmed death."

The Zabrak blinked in surprise, "An impressive amount, but we shall still decline your request."

His interest raised he leant forward, "Why won't you take the contract?"

The Zabrak sighed, "Of the twenty nine assassins sent to date, only three got close enough to strike. They worked together with excellent preparation and a good plan. The ambush should not have failed. They did. In addition we lost three fighters and a support vessel in orbit. Not one assassin has returned from any attempts to date. We have no interest in further losses. I can point you to alternatives should you be inclined to continue."

"No." He motioned to the droid who cut the transmission. His mutters drowned out by the background noise, "What to do now?"

* * *

Harry quickly drew his wand and lightsaber to defend himself, Abaddon made no move other than to raise an eyebrow at his actions.

"Really?" he drawled, "You do realise that you define the rules in this place, the lightsaber is a technology which won't work here, and you gave me the skills, knowledge and power to equal or surpass incredibly dangerous wizards when you made me. Not including the Force abilities you bestowed upon me."

He stepped to one side and examined one of the figures sitting at the tables. "You cannot defeat me in combat magically nor physically, however I am unable to bring harm to you here as to bring harm to you is to bring annihilation upon myself. I may be an error on your part but I have nearly as much right to be here naturally as you do."

Harry blinked in shock but knew that only the truth had been spoken, he raised an eyebrow at that understanding.

Abaddon nodded, "I know. There can be no lies or misunderstandings between us here. The events unfolding are of too great a magnitude for such petty concerns. Our magic knows this and is guiding us to this."

"How are you here?" Harry's eyes narrowed as he observed the change in the hall, the others drifting away into a strange mist until it was just the two of them and the impression of the hall remained.

"How? Why I live here of course. You made me from fragments of others as you know them and yourself, and then dear old Tom's influence muddled things up a little more. After all that, the persona you had made to be a mask gained a spark when you gave me a name. Names have power, especially to our kind. The name of Darth Abaddon is a powerful one, but one barely defined, barely known. But with it and my forging I became something more, something new. And here we are."

"So what happens now?"

"Now? As to our understanding of such matters, we would fight and one would absorb the other, the victor would awaken and carry on as if waking from a bad dream. The victor would absorb what remains of the other, changing a little, but stronger for the change. However. As per the norm when you are involved, things aren't as simple. There are not two minds here, but three."

"Three?"

"Oh yes, one of the secrets kept from you, there is a fragment of Tom festering away here, seeping into you over the years, micron by micron. Something happened recently which cracked his... prison, allowing him to adjust things at a faster pace."

"Then I need to get him out of my mind and destroy him."

Abaddon sighed I disappointment, "Gryffindor's. And then what? In your mental construct he would be able to use his full knowledge and abilities, he is incredibly experienced in the mental arts, you are not. No. it would be better for him to die than you, admittedly better for me for both of you to fall. You may have made me strong and capable, but you also included parts of yourself, you are a protector of others and I was given that curse, I would at least try and protect those that belong to me. Tom however has nothing to lose and everything to gain, he is too powerful for either one of us alone, but together, we could drive him out."

Harry frowned in thought, "That is agreeable, how capable are you in these mental arts?"

"If it had just been you in your mind when you made me, then I would have been adequate but not much more, with Tom's taint I have most of his skill within me, not enough to win, but I could hold him if I focused entirely upon that."

Harry blinked as a thought hit him. "What would happen if I beat you and then rebuilt you within my mind to help me defend it?"

Abaddon smiled at that, "Some cunning after all, good. I have no idea, but it sounds interesting to give it a try. However I would not just give up, you would have to actually best me. But be warned, if I win, then you will be consumed and this body will be mine. At least until Tom comes for me. So, how shall we compete for dominion over your flesh?"

Harry thought about it for a minute before nodding to himself, "Would you like to play a game of chess?"

* * *

James instructed the droids to place the crates in a side chamber to be sorted later. Once they were gone he quickly opened the air vent he had already prepared before tapping the code into the side of the crates. Each hissed and opened smoothly.

"Brothers, it is good to see you." He passed a datapad to Sirius. "This has a map of the Temple and the vents. I have extensive notes on patrols and security that I could acquire for you. Father is held within the marked area of the Temple."

Sirius nodded and scanned the records before passing it to Set. "Any unexpected problems?"

James shook his head, "None at this time. The Jedi appear confused as to what to do. I have four escape routes already planned dependant on Fathers condition. I shall be Overwatch; I have managed to gain access to the Temples security network. I am unable to alter anything without notice, but I can watch through the cameras and keep you up to date on issues. Primary exit is the same as entry; I have already provided a crate for Father with basic medical devices. I will dispose of them should they not be needed."

Mehen nodded, "Will you be extracting with us?"

"No. I have work to do here, I will extract following the completion of my plans or if I am detected. I have an anchor and escape vehicle within range in case of emergencies. I have already prepped the anchor for your use."

Anhur finished downloading the datapad and passed it back to James. "Opposition?"

"Every member of the Jedi Council is present. Security is remarkably lax for such an event. They are currently debating what action to take. It will take time to move into position to extract Father and we must wait for the Jedi to do their part before we can act."

Set nodded, "Very well. We will move to positions and wait for the moment to strike, and then extract him allowing nothing to slow us down."

James nodded, "I concur. Now move to the designated locations, avoid detection at all costs. Beware, I have noticed a few Jedi give me odd looks as I pass them, it's possible that our unique design may mean we can be detected by Jedi. Keep such an option in mind."

His brothers nodded and moved into the vents following individual paths to the pre-set locations. James shutting the vent behind them before locking the room.

"Time to get back to work." He muttered to himself as he headed for the library.

* * *

Elia Tanna watched as the Masters left the council chamber. Most were calm and serene, a few however looked at her with distrust and a few refused to meet her eyes, the shame pouring from them.

Master Kcaj walked with Master Plo Koon and Master Kenobi, talking quietly between themselves; she enhanced her hearing with the force and caught a fragment of their conversation.

"...Prism, is there no-where else... Knight Tanna, how can we assist you?" Master Koon's calm voice called to her as they approached.

"Masters," she bowed using the moment to calm herself, "may I enquire as to the decision of what will happen to Evan Jade?"

Master Kcaj sighed before responding, "It has been decided that Evan Jade is dead and has been for some time. The spirit possessing his body is to be held accountable for his actions in the war, the resources required to destroy the Sith spirit have been declared too vital for the war effort to risk. Therefore the Spirit and his container will be transferred to a secure location to remain as they are until the war is over, then the Council will see about banishing the spirit. What remains of Evan Jade is unlikely to survive the spirits destruction."

"But, that's wrong; we should be helping him, saving him, now."

Master Koon raised a hand to halt her rant, "I am sorry young one, the decision has been made, a number of the masters agreed with your thoughts, but the council voted and we will follow our instructions." He sighed for a moment, "He seems important to you, therefore I would say your goodbyes now before he is transferred."

She bowed again and watched them carry on, Kenobi shaking his head as he looked pained by the decision, rubbing his gut as they walked.

* * *

Cad Bane finished pulling on the robe. He glanced at the body dumped in the corner; the Duro Jedi looked confused with the hole between his eyes from the blaster bolt. Cad examined the lightsaber hilt in his hands and chuckled to himself, "Only one careful owner. The crystal will be worth a nice bonus after all this."

Clipping it to the belt, he placed his blasters on clips at his back under the robe and then checked his wrist holster.

Sighing as he looked at his hat, "Sorry partner, but you'll just have to wait for me."

He went across the hall to his room, placing the pack and hat under the bed, ready to go when he returned but out of obvious sight in case anyone snooped.

Quickly leaving the apartment he swaggered along the street, slowly changing his walk as he moved until it was the careful and precise gait of a Jedi.

Had he eyebrows he would have raised them at the angry mutters which followed him as he passed through the crowd. Apparently the Jedi weren't as well loved as they imagined, it wouldn't alter his plans at this time, but it was good to know.

People normally didn't look at Jedi in case they caught their attention, now, the glares he was receiving meant that people would remember him.

If the pay wasn't so good and the threat hanging over his life, he'd have been tempted to just walk away, but ego and coin won out and he carried on his way, nodding to the temple guards as he passed them.

After everything that had gone on so far in this war, the Jedi's security was incredibly lax, were they trying to let their enemies in?

* * *

"Count Dooku, a surprise this is."

Dooku's image surveyed the partial council in attendance, "Master Yoda, as pleasant as it is to speak with you, I am afraid I must get directly down to business. I would appreciate the return of General Evan Jade to CIS forces, intact and unharmed from his stay with you."

Windu leant forward, "I am afraid that the General is not our guest, but rather our prisoner."

Dooku nodded, "I am well aware of this, but my request stands. You have not refused me so I expect you will be willing to negotiate. I shall offer... two Jedi prisoners in exchange for General Evan Jade, healthy and whole without any alterations performed by you."

"Alterations?" Master Saesee Tiin queried with confusion.

"I am a scholar of history Master Tiin, what happened to Darth Revan will not be repeated with Jade."

"Jedi names offered are?"

"Masters Ry-Gaul and Even Piell."

Windu leant forward, "Those are not minor Jedi."

Dooku smirked, "I am well aware of their value. Are you? I shall give you two hours to discuss matters amongst yourselves before I require an answer." His image disconnected as he bowed.

Silence ruled the Council Chamber as each pondered the situation before Master Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke, "Even Piell is of vital importance, we have a mission being prepared to recover him as we speak. If Dooku is offering him, then he likely does not know the mission Master Piell had been sent upon."

Yoda shook his head, "Knows does Dooku, cares not. Jade more important to Dooku is. Mission to rescue will continue, deny Dooku we will."

Master Kit Fisto spoke out, "And what of Ry-Gaul? Are we to just leave him behind?"

Windu glanced at Yoda with a raised eyebrow, a slight shake of Yoda's head his response. "Master Ry-Gaul is a Jedi Master, he will understand our decision."

* * *

Mas Amedda leant over and whispered to Palpatine, who stood and motioned for silence, "Senators, we have received an urgent request to speak to us by the Separatist leadership."

Ignoring the angry muttering and with a gesture, a large image of Count Dooku appeared at the centre of the Senate Chamber and in front of each senator.

"Members of the Republic Senate. Thank you for giving me the chance to speak. When last I spoke to this council it was over the murder of Senator Mina Bonteri, in honour of her memory and beliefs, I have come before you to discuss an exchange of prisoners of war. Within your prisons you currently hold a number of CIS citizens, amongst them General Evan Jade. I am willing to negotiate for their return home in exchange for a number of your own citizens currently held by the CIS."

A number of senators shared confused glances and looked amongst themselves, others rumbled their discontent at the idea.

Palpatine looked confused and motioned to the vice chancellor. "I apologise Count Dooku, we were unaware of the Generals capture and imprisonment. I should have been informed of such an important prisoner. We shall look into the matter immediately. So that we may discuss your offer, what are your terms at this point."

"I am surprised that you were not notified of the Jedi Strike Team," confused mutterings spread at that comment amongst the senators, "I shall provide the reports I have received regarding the events to assist your investigations. As for the offer, I am willing to authorise a one for one exchange between both sides, except in exchange of the General in which I shall provide two Jedi Masters in exchange for his safe return. A neutral location will be discussed for the exchange of prisoners within... let us say seven days after the final discussions are complete.

Senator Halle Burtoni called out, "Two Jedi Masters for one General?"

"General Evan Jade is a beloved and respected hero of the CIS, he was also a close personal friend of Senator Bonteri, to offer less would be an insult to the General and to Senator Bonteri's memory."

Padme Amidala moved her platform out for all to see, "Whilst I approve whole heartedly of such an offer, I must ask Count Dooku, is Senator Riyo Chuchi one of your prisoners?"

Dooku's eyebrow rose, "I was unaware that she was missing. Whilst we have a number of political prisoners, she is not one of them. As a measure of good will, I shall begin investigations amongst the CIS to discover if anyone on our side knows what happened to her. I shall send a list of our prisoners by courier to the senate directly to begin negotiations. If you will excuse me."

With a nod of his head he disconnected, the senate's mutters rising as they discussed the issue between themselves.

On the central podium, Sidious smiled internally. That had gone well, the implications towards the Jedi would sour relations further, trust was such a fickle thing.

* * *

Dooku took a deep breath as he turned to look at the strike team prepping for Jade's recovery.

The commando droids were putting on the clone trooper armour, a good disguise for them to get close enough.

A suit of ancient Jedi armour stood waiting for him, a relic from his personal collection, it was still functional and would hide his identity from witnesses. Only the Jedi Council and a few of his former students might recognise his presence. Risky, but worth it.

They would blame it upon a rogue element, allowing him to escape with his apprentice. Apprentice wasn't the word he wanted to use, but he could not bring himself to say it. The word held too much weight for his comfort, but in the end, what else was the young man to him.

The shuttle would arrive in just over ten minutes, enough time to get the Jedi Council distracted whilst his team inserted into the temple.

His gut churned at the thought of stepping foot once more on the Temple grounds. He really didn't like the feel of this, but he was committed now, he would not fail.

* * *

Elia stood looking up at Evan Jade in the bacta tank, a deep frown on her face.

Her whispers echoed around the room, "No, this is wrong. This is not right or just, this is fear controlling them. The easy path."

She took a step back and a deep breath before making a decision to shatter her future. "If they won't bring the light to save him, then I will."

She strode from the room, focused upon the quartermasters, she needed to gather the components for the cleansing ritual she had just found, she only had an hour or two before Evan was taken elsewhere and she would likely never see him again. The Force must be watching over them for such a lucky find.

* * *

Sidious' agent watched as the Jedi medic left the secure chamber, smoothly he dropped from the vent and flowed into the room, his presence hidden through the force. The temple guardians at the ends of the corridor none the wiser.

Carefully he examined the devices in the chamber as he planned how he was to complete his mission.

Moving to the droid, he quickly attached a datapad and entered a series of commands. Within a minute a series of genetic samples had been acquired from the target and the droids memory of the last few minutes purged.

Wrapping the package in his bag, he quickly left the area, disappearing into the air vents of the temple. He had a package to deliver to the drop box before his second mission goal could be completed.

Leaving the temple he paused as he watched a unit of clone troopers talk with a temple guard, maybe that was something he could use.

* * *

Harry looked out of the window in the headmasters' office. It was almost the same as he remembered, the castle grounds, the forest and the lake remained as he remembered, Hogsmeade and the train line were gone.

The clinking of the pieces being set by Abaddon behind him drew his attention back.

The pieces were each unique, garbed in appropriate clothing and equipment but physically they were important people in Harry's mind, made of something that looked like malachite edged in gold to highlight details. Abaddon's were a similar set with a few differences in membership and were made of obsidian with ruby edging to define their forms. Amusingly to Harry both kings were identical in form, himself in his armour. The Queens were also identical in who they were for which Harry raised his eyebrow in surprise at Abaddon.

He smiled at Harry's reaction, "How could she not be the queen in such a game. Now, come, sit." Abaddon pointed to a comfortable chair opposite him which Harry took. "As agreed, this is standard chess, no hidden details or secrets, just plain chess. You can move things by hand, orders as in wizarding chess or the force, it matters not. We will have but the one game. The winner takes dominion of this reality, then Tom will be free to begin his attempt to consume this place unless he is stopped. I shall take the role of black in this game, you are white."

"Agreed," Harry nodded and pondered his first move, leaning back he looked Abaddon in the eye, "Pawn to D4." The pieces gained animation and muttered amongst themselves as the king pointed to the relevant pawn and motioned it to make the move. It strode forward, head watching the enemy ranks for threats.

Abaddon looked at the board and with a motion of his finger a pawn slid to D5. There was no animation or life to his pieces.

"Pawn to C4, tell me something. Do you remember a childhood?"

"That is something I am slightly disappointed in, I have fragments of both yours and Toms. Its rather odd actually, you had very similar starts in life," he motioned again and a pawn slid to E6, "both orphans, both abused by your peers and those who should have protected you, but where you forged yourself to withstand the pain, to prove them wrong and be nothing like them, his hate festered and twisted him."

"Knight to C3, Its kind of odd to think that he was a child once as well. Much easier to think he came into being as a monster and an adult."

Abaddon nodded, "I know the thought intimately, and I don't have everything of course, but just enough. And oh how he hated Dumbledore." The pawn moved to C5 with a flick of a finger. "He brought Tom into the Wizarding word, brought him to his true home and then turned on him, sending him back to London during the blitz. Tom even reduced himself to begging Headmaster Dippet to let him stay at Hogwarts in the summer, but Dumbledore convinced Dippet not to allow it, but you know how that feels."

Harry flinched, "Pawn takes D5, let's move on shall we. What do you expect will happen once we are finished?"

Abaddon tapped his chin in thought for a moment, "He will expect us to fight, weakening ourselves in the conflict. Whilst the victor will be stronger, they require time to adapt and assimilate the new knowledge and skills. He will strike when he believes the victor weak, unfortunately for him we are having our conflict in a civilized manner." He motioned a Pawn to take D4. "Between us we should be able to either contain him back in his prison or break the link and free us from his taint."

"Queen takes D4, you mentioned earlier that in such a conflict, the victor will change and grow by gaining knowledge, will that be the same with Tom?"

"A good question. It depends upon how we fight and how it is resolved. Should he flee immediately, then there will be nothing that isn't already in place. Should he fight to the last, then you would gain large portions of him. Should he fight then flee, then remnants will remain but it would be entirely up to chance as to what he leaves behind unless you aim for the information you require." He flicked a finger and his knight moved to C6.

"Hmmm, Queen to A4, maybe I should hunt for his deepest secret or biggest fear or something. He'd focus on stopping me which would give us an advantage."

"If you knew what it was then it would be a good attack." Another flick and a pawn took D5, "Any ideas that come to mind?"

"Knight to F3, he's afraid of dying and being ignored and forgotten. He's a diva who hungers for the spotlight. His return showed that, he could have gone around that a dozen other ways but he needed me and to show how powerful he was to his minions."

"And how would you have done it?" the pawn moved to D4.

"Knight to B5, Barty Crouch Junior pretending to be Moody asks to have a word at the end of the first class, stuns me, puts me in a box and carries me off school grounds, apparates to tom and does the ritual. A more subtle version would be to do that and obliviate me afterwards and return me as if nothing is wrong. Do it quickly and quietly enough and no-one would know until he did something to blow his cover, probably by killing me publically and brutally to cement his position."

Abaddon nodded in agreement and motioned his bishop to D7. "Much more efficient and safer for him than what happened, however, did you take into account that there may have been reasons for choosing to act then. Perhaps the potion required preparation, perhaps the night in question was important."

"Knight takes D4, There was nothing about the night, nor location other than it was easier to do it there for various reasons. I don't know about the potion, but Wormtail lit the fire beneath it upon his arrival, so I seriously doubt there was much preparation required."

"I agree, but it is best to consider such matters, there may be something important hidden within the details." He waved his hand regally and his bishop moved to B4, "Oh and check by the way."

Harry looked up from the board at the satisfied smirk on Abaddon's face. "Indeed it is, King to D1, the biggest thing I need to know is how he survived and came back. It doesn't do me any good if I can't kill him. Imagine the chaos he would case in the galaxy if he escaped."

"Less than you imagine for a short period, he would require a wand before he became a major danger, until then he would be an annoyance." He flicked a finger and his Knight took D4. "He lacks your research, the Sith came close as did the Jedi in their own way, but both lack the basic understanding to make the next step."

"Queen takes B4, then I am missing something as well, what can I use for the core of a wand?"

"As entertaining as it is to not tell you, I shall guide you to the understanding." His Knight moved and took F3. "The Jedi and Sith both channel the force through themselves but also through the crystals they are so attuned to."

"But I tried crystals, they didn't work. Pawn takes F3, they wouldn't work correctly for me when trying to make a wand. Although I didn't make a crystal wand, would that have worked?"

"Definitely not, they wouldn't work for a simple issue, you lack a manner to bind the ingredients together. There was nothing to attune it all properly. But the method involved would result in unique wands attuned to an individual." His bishop moved to A4, "Check again by the way."

"King to E2, so what am I missing?"

"Is it not obvious? What made the biggest divide in the wizarding world? What brought about the fall of civilizations beyond counting? What is the difference between a normal human and a magical? What is a key ingredient in rituals and enchantments that require pure power to fuel? Blood. Blood is the key." His queen moved to D1, "Check."

"Blood? That's what I was missing? King to E3."

Abaddon smiled at him. "Blood will bind the magical to the wand, the wand to its core, the core to its wielder. The crystal will channel the magic and the more in tune with the wielder the better. And the blood takes the place of the sacrifice in the formula which the magical creatures filled, after all are you not magical?" He surveyed the board for a minute as Harry thought things over before he castled his King.

Harry sat back in his chair, "Huh, that makes a lot of sense. It's much more awkward to produce wands that way, but doable. Dooku mentioned the Jedi use a Droid to guide padawans in constructing their first lightsaber. I might have to look into that as a path to take. Bishop to D2. I'll need to acquire a secure location with the appropriate materials, but I'm sure i can combine things in a suitable manner, maybe even enhance the attunement between the components."

"A garden perhaps, trees and crystals growing together?" Abaddon motioned his queen to take A1. "It would be impressive to look upon if done correctly."

"Bishop to A6, it would be a dramatic place to look upon. Maybe even build a school there. Combine everything into one, no light side, no dark side, just the force and magic." Harry sighed at the image in his mind before frowning at the board. "A dream to aspire to, but first we have work to do. So what's the plan?"

Abaddon smiled already visualising his victory, motioning his castle to E8. "Check, I shall restrain him, bind him from attacking, you shall strike and cause as much damage as you can. Once weakened enough I shall absorb both of you and move on to rule the galaxy. Fear not, I like the idea of your school, I shall include it with the garden as you suggest, I will have to find the right place for it though."

Harry winced, "King to F4, rather confident of your victory aren't you."

"Well, of course I am," he drawled, "I don't see more than ten more moves for me to win this game, maybe more dependent on the conversation." His Castle moved to E4, "Check once again."

"Very funny, Pawn takes E4, so, any tips on how to fight Tom?"

"Fight hard and viciously, give no quarter or mercy for he will not give you any." He flicked his Pawn to G5, "Check, you have fought him before, he will gloat and grandstand, maybe even monologue. Don't let him, throw him from his rhythm. I'll deal with the defences, you focus on attacking. He is cunning, so beware false openings in his defences."

"King to G3, Fair enough. Spell choice?"

Abaddon chuckled, "Spells are not what matters here. Imagination and intent, faith in yourself, willpower. They are what defines combat here. Here, you are a being of thought and will, defined by the rules you have forged within your mindscape. He will be bound the same as you, but whilst he is powerful and skilled, he lacks your range of experience and talents. He is rigid in his views and imagination, you are not, use that edge." His Queen took H1, "Do you believe yourself ready now?"

Harry waved the question aside. "Ready? No. Better prepared? Yes. I think I should be able to fight now. I'd have been turned into a smear from my earlier plans, so thank you. Queen takes B7, check."

Abaddon blinked in surprise, "Pardon?" He spent nearly a full minute looked over the board, his confidence fractured by the shock of the shift in the game. "You sacrificed those pieces to draw me in. I have blinded myself." He nodded in approval and waved his King to D8. "I do not believe I can escape your trap, but I shall play the game to completion. Anything else would be an insult to us both."

Harry smiled and nodded in respect, "Queen to C8, check. Too many years of Ron annihilating me at this game made me study the masters in the summers. I have held this particular game for the last time I choose to play him. Once I won I would refuse to play him anymore."

Abaddon smiled in approval, "A petty and vicious victory. I commend you for it. He chuckled in amusement, he would fixate upon it for ages, ah that would be something to see. Looking back I always wondered why you let him cause you such problems with his issues." He motioned his King to E7.

"Bishop to B4, check. I really don't know. Then again there is much that doesn't add up from that period, but it is the past, it no longer matters."

Abaddon waved his King to F6, "You do realise the chaos you will have caused by being captured by the Jedi."

"Queen to F5, check." Harry nodded. "Of course, by now I should be on Coruscant and the Jedi will be preparing to remove the spirit from me, Dooku will have found out by that point and will have to make a statement to the senate which will result in a trial, I'll point them at evidence already placed and actual real evidence to cause chaos. Whilst the jury decides what to do or on my way to prison, my children will rescue me and I will return to the war without our hidden guest."

Abaddon reached out and picked up his king, examining it for a long moment before placing it on G7. "You do realise that you sound just like them. Playing people like chess pieces. That you are no better than them."

Harry frowned, "Who do you mean?"

"Make the move and I'll tell you."

"Queen to G5, check and mate. Who do you mean?"

Abaddon smiled with venom at Harry, "Dumbledore and Voldemort."

Then the world shifted and Abaddon was gone.

* * *

Master Yoda sat watching as Master Windu was being berated by the Chancellor for his unauthorised use of military assets on a vendetta against one man. Yes a powerful and dangerous individual who was a threat to the republic, but he should have still asked for authorisation to make such an attempt. Apparently the Chancellor had been embarrassed politically by the Jedi acting in such a manner without informing him. He could see Windu's frustration as it vibrated through the man as he dealt with Palpatine.

Yoda meanwhile sat to one side watching and meditating on the situation. Something had been gnawing at the edges of his focus, he was missing something. Something vital in all this. Ignoring the politely calm voices of the angry men, he focused himself and reached out to the Force, wondering what was wrong.

There, deep within the depths of the Temple something was about to happen. The Force was still as if it anticipated something major was about to occur. A faint humming echoed through his senses as if a taught wire was vibrating on the edge of snapping.

He frowned as he felt several echoes, each building in strength as the came closer. Each discordant with the others, but fragments of an intricate pattern kept appearing and disappearing. Suddenly one of the pieces became recognisable.

He quietly moved from his chair and left the Chamber without notice, triggering his comlink as he entered the lift. "Guardians, danger there is. Clear corridors quickly you must. Calm everyone must be. Dooku here is." Shifting channels he opened a link, "Knight Reus, Dooku here is. The Hall of a Thousand Fountains. Delay him you will." Another shift in links, "Master Plo Koon. Danger are younglings in. To running track take them. Busy keep them. Safe keep them." Cutting the link, he lifted his saber hilt in his hand, its weight grew every time he used it. Centering himself, he pondered why Dooku would have done this. He had begun negotiations and was waiting for a response regarding the Jedi's answer. The Senate was now involved. Why had he come here in such a manner unless there was much more occurring than he was aware of.

He left the lift and regretted his age as he moved slower than he wished. Hearing the clashes of lightsabers ahead, he began to prepare himself for what was to come.

* * *

Count Dooku exited the shuttle and strode across the bay with his guard. The staff and rangers all parted from his path, unwilling to delay such an imposing group.

The Temple Guardians looked to each other and then began to move to intercept his progress.

Sighing to himself at the odds of him making it to Harry unnoticed dropping rapidly, he halted and waited for them to speak.

The one on the right spoke first. "Greetings Brother, I was unaware of any Jedi wearing such armour, please remove your helmet and identify yourself."

"I am on important business for the Council and am unable to disclose my identity at this time, hence the armour. Feel free to contact them and let Master Yoda know that Ademar is here to see him on a matter of extreme urgency."

"The Council is unavailable for the moment."

"Then I shall wait for them to be free, I know the way to the antechamber."

"We shall assign you an escort and send a message."

"As you wish." He nodded as the second Guardian motioned to a side.

A third guardian stepped forward and nodded his head, "Follow me."

Nodding to the Guards, Dooku followed his guide.

Letting the Force guide him, he struck as the moment appeared.

His lightsaber punched through the Guardians spine, Dooku holding him up as he gasped in surprise, the air driven from his lungs. He quickly passed the dead Guardian to one of the droids who placed him in a small meditation chamber to one side, the dual bladed lightsaber left with the body.

Dooku stopped at a crossroads and reached out with the Force, searching for Harry. There, deep in the depths of the Temple, he could feel the slow rhythmic beat of his heart and his unique presence in the force. Although there appeared to be a strange echo in the Force around him. Perhaps some form of defensive measure taken to contain him.

He led the way, the other Jedi letting him pass without challenge, only a few watched him pass. A padawan made to move in their way but was stopped by their master who whispered something into their ear.

Dooku frowned beneath his helmet, were they so confident, so lax in their defences that he could just walk into such a location with such ease?

No, he felt the shift in the Force. They knew he was here, they knew who he was. They were trying to get the younglings away from his presence. He smiled at that, at least they understood the danger he posed.

He reached a large chamber and watched as the last few Jedi left from the far end.

A woman in green stood at the centre of the chamber waiting for him.

He removed the helmet and smiled at his old student. "Keelyvine Reus. How you have grown, still a fan of green I see. Are you here to stop me?"

"Count Dooku," she saluted him with her lightsaber. "I was sent to hold you until more appropriate forces could be sent to your location. I believe your old master wishes to discuss matters with you."

"Then let us enjoy ourselves whilst we wait for his arrival, I hope you have kept up with your studies. The warm up will be appreciated."

* * *

Harry looked over the headmasters' office, the paintings rippling as the changes spread. He could feel the new understanding and knowledge filling him. With a raised eyebrow he understood what was happening as the knowledge filled the shelves around him.

Abaddon had thought differently to him and as such saw events from a point of view separate to Harrys. Colder, more clinical without the emotional attachment distorting matters. His memories flowed along the most important events with a fresh perspective. Innocent little things suddenly became possible manipulations.

Forcing the doubts aside, he focused on how his mind now felt.

Overall not much had changed, a few more fragments of knowledge here and there, however the greatest change was his level of understanding. Things seemed so much clearer to him, links between details now firmer and more solid. Where he had not truly questioned things as he learnt, Abaddon had done so, and the answers he had come to made sense.

Pulling himself back to the moment, he frowned as he realised how undefended his mind actually was. He willed Darth Abaddon to be formed again within his mindscape as a major defence. The rest would take time, focus and effort. Things he was lacking at this moment.

As the Sith Lord knelt before him, Harry felt the shift in his magic. Deep within the castles bowels he felt pressure building. Tom was on the move, trying to breach his prison and flood into the rest of the castle.

Harry began to stride towards the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, his armour flowing around him as it formed. His mindscape adapting to his new rules, there would be no waste in his arsenal, every tool would be needed.

Suddenly finding himself at the large round door, he looked upon the snakes holding it in place and placed his hand upon them. He felt an ache in his core starting in his scar and slowly spreading.

Taking a deep breath he whispered "O _pen_ " in parseltongue and watched as the door opened.

* * *

Elia stood and used the force to place the final the ritual components in their place. The ring of salt surrounded the bacta tank and the droid, the quartz was placed at the compass points, cardinal points she corrected herself. The strange glyphs had been drawn where the diagram had instructed. The bowl and knife were rather worrying to her, but it was a Jedi text and not a Sith one she had found this in, so she would just have to trust her predecessors. The words to be spoken were strange, fragments appeared familiar to her, but spread amongst a dozen other languages. It was like nothing she had heard before, but she would not fail.

She didn't know why the ancient ritual would require these items, but had to trust how it would progress. The cleansing ritual would require her to pour her essence into the mix and use it to crush the mind of the possessing spirit, then it would be a simple procedure to remove the taint. To try and destroy the spirit intact would only invite a pathway into herself for it to possess her and escape. Not a viable option.

She would have to devote her entire attention to the ritual, any distraction and it could unravel dangerously.

Taking a deep breath, she focused her connection to the Force upon the bowl before her. Taking the blade she cut her palm and let the blood fall into the bowl. A quick surge of her abilities sealed the wound and she placed the required herbs into the blood and used a candle to light the mix. Thick pungent smoke billowed up and began to swirl around the ritual circle.

She felt a strange shift in the Force within her as she began to speak the words from the ritual. There was a sudden absence of connection which burned within her before it all rushed back. It felt wilder, more primal but at the same time it flowed through her as if gleeful of what she was doing. More connected, more... Right.

* * *

Lord Voldemort stood there at the centre of the chamber, not the strange snake-like thing from the ritual, but a pale and handsome man. Harry immediately recognised him for an older version of the Tom he had met in the chamber. His robes were of an immense quality. Harry had never seen such intricate and expensive robes before.

Voldemort turned to face his guest, "Ah, Harry Potter, so nice to finally meet you in the flesh as it were."

Harry nodded, "Tom. How have you been?"

"I have been quite well, thank you for asking. Whilst I do appreciate the polite discussion, Divine Beings such us have much to do, a galaxy to conquer, you know how it is."

Harry internally blinked at being declared Divine Beings, externally he smiled, "Strangely I do. Out of politeness I will offer you the chance to retreat and leave me. But I will give no quarter should you remain."

Voldemort nodded and slowly drew his wand, "I am afraid that I must decline your offer. I shall however make an offer of my own. Kneel before me and I shall maintain your essence, we shall forge a suitable form for my Divinity to enter and we will then turn our attention upon this galaxy. We shall be as Gods, raised above the mortals that surround us. You will stand beside me as the only peer I will accept for all eternity."

"I'm afraid that I must decline Tom. As tempting as your offer is, it's not my style."

Voldemort nodded sagely, "As I expected, a pity. But the offer had to be made. I shall then defeat you and as we merge I shall ascend to the next stage of Divinity. Now kneel and I shall be merciful in my destruction of you."

"No. I'll fight you with everything I have Tom. You will not win."

"How amusing, your resistance does not matter, you will fail as all others have before you, just like your parents did." His wand swept up and with a thunderous roar, fire rushed towards Harry.

Harry raised his hand, palm facing the fire and it broke apart and flowed around him before it formed into lions who rushed back at Voldemort as Harry pointed his finger at him.

Snakes constructed of water rose and quenched the lions, Harry quickly twisted the steam into birds which dove at his target.

Voldemort raised a wall of earth which was torn up by the bird's forms striking it. He nodded in approval, "Good, you have been learning. I was concerned we might repeat the graveyard incident."

Abaddon chuckled from one side, "More than learning." Force lightning erupted from his fingers.

Voldemort's eyes widened from surprise at the additional opponent, his hand raised and deflected the lightning away. He dodged to one side to avoid the slash of the lightsabers blade as Harry had rushed towards him using the force to speed him towards his target. Floating backwards, he pointed his wand at harry, the fragments of the wall turning into hornets which began to swarm towards him.

Abaddon gestured and the remaining dust of the wall became chains which wrapped around Voldemort as Harry quickly swept the hornets away with a wall of water. As the chains began to stretch and shatter Abaddon motioned the water and earth to flow and strike Voldemort with a mudslide. Harry quickly gestured with his own wand, the mud turning to solid clay, holding Voldemort in place.

Voldemort merely raised an eyebrow as he shattered the bindings around him, the shards flying towards his opponents. Abaddon deflected them with the Force whilst harry formed a shield turning the shards to dust. With a sneer the dust rose to bind Harry but Abaddon turned the snake statues around the chamber into Wookies. The war cry and large hairy aliens charging him shocked Voldemort, but he quickly recovered throwing balls of fire at the Wookies, watching as they went up like they had been soaked in oil.

Harry took the moment to gather all the water and change it into a Hungarian horntail which snarled and roared flame at Voldemort.

A wall of rock rose to block the flames, a sluggish grey blue spell filled the dragons mouth as it breathed in for a second assault, but began to choke with the blockage, its neck and lower jaw erupting in fiery gore as the dragon fire made contact with the spell.

Watching the great beast fall to thaw ground, its head held on by threads of sinew and skin. "Are you afraid yet child?"

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Brave words often shouted at the darkness by mortals. Once, I spoke them. Cast aside your mortal chains and see the truth, take my offer and join me."

Harry began to gather the oily smoke and send it towards Voldemort, intent on choking him and his offer with it.

Voldemort deflected the attack with a wall of air, quickly gathering some of the flames still burning from the dragon and formed a whip of fire which he struck at Abaddon with before he could gather his focus for his next attack.

Abaddon grunted as the whip scorched his armour, knocked back by the impact, his blast of force lightning struck the wall of rock.

Brushing dust from his robes Voldemort spoke with an almost bored tone, "With only my will and forgotten lore I have moved beyond the reach of death, beyond the gods of old for even they cannot touch me now. Your petty flailing's only delay the inevitable."

Harry took the moment to gather his focus, before pulling memories of the dementors into the chamber.

The first warning Voldemort had was a flash of silver light from Harry's position as the Patronus was cast and the dementors swarmed him. He quickly summoned chains from the shadows to bind and pull back the dementors, his eyes widened at how close he had come to death. He was a God, beyond such beings, but here they would work as if he were a mere mortal.

Harry noticed the widened eyes of fear in Voldemort's calm appearance and chose the moment to strike, "Legilimens!" His magic hammered into the essence of Voldemort, following the fear he dug deep into his psyche, a faint echo of screaming reaching his ears. After what felt like an age he found fragments of knowledge bound to a word that Voldemort feared others to discover. Suddenly he reeled back as Voldemort managed to slam his mind shut.

Harry staggered with the shock of his ejection as Abaddon formed a wall of rock between Harry and Voldemort, shielding Harry from a torrent of sickly green energy.

With a shift of Voldemort's wand, the torrent turned in the air and surged towards Abaddon. The Sith flew backwards, smashing into a wall of the chamber and bouncing to the ground.

Harry looked up and saw the burning rage and hatred focused on him at the secret he had discovered, realising that Voldemort had been playing and enjoying the fight rather than taking it completely seriously, he quickly gathered the thick dark smoke above them and pulled it down around them, blocking vision and quickly moved for cover, barely making it before Voldemort gathered the smoke into a roiling ball of clouds flickering with lightning in his hand.

Voldemort's voice echoed around the chamber, cold and vicious in the fury, spitting his words out as if they burned to speak them. "You Dare! I had intended to forge you into the first of my Angels, a simple clean death for you followed by absorption and being reforged into my right hand. But now. Now it will hurt, you will scream and beg and cry as I tear your essence apart strand by strand. I will absorb nothing of you into myself for my ascension, I shall scourge you from your own flesh, hold you a prisoner at the back of my mind as I make you watch the destruction and despair I shall bring about using your face. I will consume the minds of those you care for and imprison them in my own just out of your reach, but you shall hear their despair and agonies for eternity, begging for release."

Harry stayed in the shadows as Voldemort stalked the chamber looking for him. A quick glance showed Abaddon laying still in a pool of blood to one side, his armour scorched and smoking still from the spells impact. His first thought was that Abaddon had been killed, but knew that if he had, he would have faded away by now.

Harry carefully began to manoeuvre to keep Abaddon at Voldemort's back, he found his position and waited for Voldemort's attention to move away from his hiding spot.

Harry and Voldemort both staggered suddenly as a loud gong like noise hammered into the castle. They both blinked in surprise as with a second tone, a large crack ripped through the wall of the chamber.

"What? What is this?" Voldemort's words held something Harry never expected to hear, fear. From the crack a glow began to form accompanied by a faint music, which grew stronger with each second that passed.

Abaddon moved in the confusion, his lightsaber thrown from his hand at Voldemort who moved to dodge but was stopped as Harry impaled him upon a spear of stone through his gut. The Lightsaber tore through Voldemort's bicep, the arm falling away and collapsing into a pool of thick ink which began to bleed into the stone below it.

With a loud crack Voldemort broke the spear and staggered away towards the exit, his hand clenched over his wound.

Harry and Abaddon carefully advanced, wary of an attack. They tensed as Voldemort's wand rose towards them, with a snarl a wide splash of purple flames flew at them at waist height. Abaddon jumped over whilst Harry rolled under. Voldemort smirked as with a twist of his wand, the chains holding the dementors snatched out towards Harry.

Abaddon grabbed Harry with the force and threw him to one side, placing himself in the path of the chains.

Ink spilled from Voldemort's stomach as he turned and ran.

Harry stopped for a moment before Abaddon's yell of "Go!" spurred him on to follow his target, leaving Abaddon struggling to break free of the chains as the dementors reached for him.

Voldemort's laughter echoed as they ran through the halls of the school, ink stained handprints bleeding into the stonework as Harry chased the monster. They had reached the main stairwell as another gong noise made the structure shudder. Voldemort screamed as he staggered, a large white crack spreading across his back, ink smoking as it spilled from the wound, sizzling in the glow. Harry leapt up the stairs in an attempt to gain ground. Voldemort sneered and glanced towards the direction of the headmaster's tower, he snarled in anger at the distance and jumped over the bannister.

Harry blinked in surprise as Voldemort fell past before catching himself with a spell. Landing softly, he turned and ran for the great doors of the castle.

Harry jumped after him, the force slowing his fall. He watched as Voldemort blasted open the gateway and escaped onto the grounds. Panic flooded him, if Voldemort escaped then he could go to ground and slowly infiltrate at a later point.

Another gong produced another scream and a terrible pain lanced through Harrys skull. Staggering outside he saw Voldemort writhing on the ground as a woman made of white fire pulled at a barbed chain that came from Voldemort and faded into the air, whilst her other hand held onto a tarnished silver chain which he saw came from his chest and faded beyond her grip.

* * *

Elia took a deep breath as she felt the sentience within the darkness begin to break under the pressure she was exerting. It fought and writhed as it tried to hold on, a flash of red eyes and pale skin tore across her vision. Anger and hate burning in the gaze as if trying to condemn her to an eternity of agonies. She calmed her breathing and centred herself before forcing more of her essence into the ritual around the darkness, straining to crush the sentience so she could remove the taint safely.

A sudden surge of power focused upon her and she felt her heart clench and her throat constrict as if being strangled. She held on and gathered her strength, she would not fail.

She felt the Darkness weakening but it suddenly seemed to fortify itself, before, with a wrenching pain like shards of rock salt embedding themselves in her hands, the link shattered.

* * *

Voldemort reached up and grasped a clawed hand around the figures throat, he began to squeeze, trying to crush the life from his attacker.

Harry jumped forward and swung his blade, the forearm collapsed into ink and flesh upon the grass as Voldemort screamed in pain, writhing upon the ground, his eyes widened as Harry raised his blade and plunged it towards Voldemort's heart.

Voldemort twisted at the last moment and gurgled as the blade entered his chest, black ink hissing from the blades burning heat. The grass beneath him stained black. He whispered a word of power and Harry was thrown back by the magic.

Voldemort staggered to his feet, the woman still pulled upon the chain as if unaware of what was happening. With a glare and scream of rage Voldemort twisted upon the spot and shattered the chain as he tried to escape destruction.

* * *

Elia flinched as the bond between the Darkness and Evan shattered, her eyes widened in horror as the scar tore open and a thick black sludge and blood poured from the wound.

The sludge pulsed forwards and flowed through the bacta tanks glass as if it wasn't there, it was like watching thick ink moving underwater but now in the air. The edges began to smoke and it looked like the edge of paper burning, embers slowly spreading across the surface.

It shivered and she felt it focus upon her, judging her, hating her.

Then it began to move towards her.

She staggered back and felt the cold metal of the wall behind her, she gasped deeply and held her breath in fear as the Darkness seemed to grow claws and long spindly limbs as it reached out for her.

The barrier erupted in light as the Darkness hammered at it, strange glyphs and sigils appearing in the air above the circle of salt as cracks ran through them from the assault as the Darkness tried to escape.

It spread itself across the cracks and began to force itself through, thin tendrils searching for a path, it quickly began to focus itself upon these gaps and pulsed along its length, trying to widen the cracks to let more of it escape.

For what felt like an entire age or a few seconds it shivered through the barrier, trying to move towards her, burning away as it attempted to reach her, to find a safe place to hide from the light.

With a noise of breaking glass the barrier shattered and the Darkness rushed towards her.

She pulled on her last reserves of energy, hammering it back with the Force, straining to keep it away.

The Darkness billowed as it struggled towards her as if in a gale, the claws straining to reach her. The tip of a claw was barely above her eye when finally, it screamed as it finished burning away.

Her lungs burning with the lack of oxygen she realised she was still holding her breath and released it in a rush, gasping as she fought for equilibrium.

A shudder rippled through the room and she felt an immense surge in the Force, her eyes snapped up and met the burning emerald eyes of Evan Jade.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Omake-esque section from regfurby's review:**

This was so awesome that I had to include it for everyone to see in case they missed the review. Personally I like it more than the ending of the relevant section in the last chapter, so thank you.

Xora: ... Are you quite done yet?  
Set: What?  
Xora: You come here accusing me of trying to steal your Father and stop him from finding your Mother. Do you believe your Father is so weak-willed that he will fall to simple seduction techniques?  
Set: What?  
Xora: That mere pheromones are enough to distract him from his goals? His ambitions?  
Set: I-I didn't...  
Xora: That he was fool enough to place trust in me without first ensuring my loyalty? Is that the extent of your faith in your Father?  
(Whole room stares at Set)  
Set: I... I... (mechanical gulp)  
Mehen: Perhaps you should spend a few cycles to update your system files, brother. A full system scan and defrag would not be remiss. It is imperative to ensure the continued integrity of our systems to better serve Father's will.  
Set: I... shall do as you suggest, brother. My apologies.  
(Set leaves)  
Mehen: You enjoyed that.  
Xora: If I couldn't handle the temper tantrum of an unruly child, your Father would be remiss to have placed his faith in me... Even if said child was a hair trigger away from liquefying my brains through my nose.  
Mehen: Well said. Do tell me when you are able to walk again.  
Xora: Shut up, Mehen.

* * *

 **Reviews:**

Stallion6 of Deviantart: There are the answers to that question in the chapter above.

Davycrockett100: Thank you.

C. : Thank you.

Bloodwolf432: At this time, he will have nothing to do with Fett, maybe a reference to him at most.

Orion0905: Thank you, its been hard but it is getting better. I likely will do so, likely as a separate story running alongside so the characters don't fade. I always found that poem creepy and thought it would fit well in that moment.

Thedwo: He is English, who else could he take as inspiration :) I admit there will be more fluff for the Hogwarts section of the story, but there will also be Harry having learnt from various experts in their fields and he will have no intention of playing fair. Plus I'm looking at the events and trying to build cohesion between them. I will say that it might not take an afternoon, but after a little set up, he'll be full guns, and wand, blazing against his enemies.

Beloved Daughter: Thank you on both counts. Story wise the worst part is having to rebuild my notes and wondering if I've missed anything.

Thsunami: Thank you.

Red Demon161: Thank you on both counts. She really wasn't ready for any of that, especially by visitors who should have no way of knowing about it. There will be more in my version, simply due to the fact that she has potential and harry knows that.

Penny is wise: thank you. It actually went wrong at the end, he had planned to heckle and manipulate his hosts on the way back but Elia changed the game.

Meshgeroya: Thank you. A good quote and rather than mourn, the family celebrated his life.

Starboy454: Thank you.

Arashi – IV of VI: Thank you.

Mangahero18: Thank you.

Neodova: I hope you enjoyed it.

Bearmauls: Thank you. Set is going through his teenage rebellion phase and treating Xora like a step-mum who married his dad and he doesn't like it. She was thrown completely off plan by the events.

Weretiger Marduk: Thank you.

BioHazard82: Thank you. I will finish the story, it might take longer than expected, but it will be finished.

God of Duff Duff: Thank you. It was hard to write that fight, getting the balance right is awkward. I rather like the image of the twins with an experienced Harry's guidance and funding. After all, he'll definitely be bitter about the whole Ministry issues.

SrgtHamy: Thank you.

Neon1311: Thank you. And now I have the image of Harry watching the security feeds with the music and popcorn.

Bluesnowman: Thank you.

Ahsanrox: Thank you.

Guest: Thank you and you are welcome.

Ksecc1: I'm glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, the cybertech upgrade is a rather nice jump in a short time. Also there were plenty of moments Abaddon's overconfidence almost lost the fight for him. I understand the issue but felt that if you take the time to support me, then you deserve a response and answers. You are welcome.

Meja9201: Thank you on both counts. Hopefully you will have enjoyed the above chapter.

Guest: Thank you.

Lord of Carrion: Thank you. Harry's time on Coruscant will definitely escalate several issues and cause problems on both sides of the war. It was hard to get the feel right for the duel, but I am glad you enjoyed it. Talzin is a survivor, Sidious is overconfident. The new Harry is not much more powerful, but what he knows. It's like adding a third fresh player into a game of chess. Close in your idea, but are you reading my mind? :)

Indecisive Bob: Thank you.

Separ: Thank you.

Regfurby: I like your end of the scene more than mine :) You may have noticed it as an Omake type section above.

Yo: Thank you and you are welcome.

Grayiron: Thank you.

T-B-R: I haven't found any sign of a Falleen-human hybrid in the star wars setting. But she doesn't know about the issues of magic just changing the rules as it wishes. As far as everyone is aware, she is correct. Its not even entered Harry's mind to consider that issue.

SSSra: I'm probably looking at about 7 to 10 chapters for his return, it might be less, rebuilding the story means I'm likely to have missed something that wasn't all that important for the story.

Ranmaleopard: I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Praetor Urbanus: Thank you for your review. I appreciate reviews like this as they tell me what I've missed or where I need to shore up my skills at writing. Being a self-beta'd story I miss things others would notice. I plan to go over my older chapters and neaten them up at a later date.

Badknight: I'm glad you are enjoying it, I hope you keep doing so.


	20. Too Many Cooks

**Chapter 20 – Too many cooks**

Across the galaxy, Force users felt a change in the force. A ripple of awakening. Each individual felt the Force within them shift. It was like a slumbering primal beast waking from a long hibernation. Many, both light and dark, gathered their will and shackled the beast, forcing it once more into slumber. A few did not even realise what they had done, events colouring their perception of what had happened. A few who were not distracted, believed the Force was trying to warn them of something, and in a way, it was.

But a small number, they accepted the change, each one looking towards the source of the sensation and felt something within them sing in joy at its reborn freedom.

* * *

Ahsoka sat meditating within the cage, part of her enjoyed the beauty of the view, finding peace in the moment. Another paced within her mind, frustration warring with fear at what was to come. It would probably be easier without that damn flying lizard screeching at her.

The danger too great to let her truly calm herself, she fell back on her lessons, looking for guidance as what to do. How to escape. Finding nothing from her Masters lessons, she hesitated a second before reviewing Kraits debates with her. Immediately a fragment came to mind.

Kraits calm and powerful voice echoed through her mind. "Passion without Purpose, Strength without Control, Spirit without Discipline, All are the pathways to destruction. You must not hide from your emotions, harness them, bind them to your will, you must rule them, not be ruled by them."

"The greatest danger is fear. Fear leads to so many other passions, so many emotions, that it is intrinsic to this lesson. Fear, it is a power that your masters would ignore or block. They, ironically, fear its control over you as well as over themselves. But I accept it, I see it in you, you feel it, and you understand, even without the force, fear gives you an edge, your muscles are faster, stronger, you're more alert and aware, and your mind is faster, sharper. All these are natural evolutionary adaptions to danger. It is millions of years of evolution striving to survive. And with only a few paltry millennia, the Jedi say it is bad, it is wrong. Why? It is natural to feel fear. Do not block it. Harness it. Think, use its gifts to survive, that is the most primal of all lessons and instincts. The drive to survive."

Strangely the guidance to harness the fear helped. She could move past it once she acknowledged that she was afraid but did not let that fear rule her.

Atai Molec's voice broke through her calm exterior and disrupted her meditations even further. "The queen has promised once the other Jedi is tamed, you will be mine, little skug."

Without reacting she raised her hand and gave his feet a nudge with the Force. He cried out as he fell, grasping hold of the edge of the building. Internally she smirked, feeling a rush of power running through her. Suddenly the Force within her seemed to roar and rush to the surface, wild and free. Following Kraits guidance, she accepted it, allowed it to stretch before it suddenly settled one more, but this time it felt like it was aware and watching everything around her. She looked up at the sky, hearing a song on the edge of her hearing, one she remembered from a dream.

As he clambered to the top, she smiled, "You'd better hope that doesn't happen."

Suddenly her collar triggered, pain rushing through her as the electricity surged. She fought it until it stopped, gasping for breath, she sucked in lungful's of cooling air, before the pain came back, crying out she felt his mind rage with anger and hate above her. But at the bottom, his fear of her, his fear that she was stronger, that she could break free and what would happen to him then.

Kraits voice came to her, "Life is Pain. Use it, let it fuel and protect you."

And with that realisation, she felt the Force within her rise up and take the pain away, she glanced up and saw a flicker of fear cross the Zygerrian's face as he met her eyes before he snarled and strode away.

She flexed her aching muscles and relaxed, easily entering a meditative state this time, not aware of how her eyes glowed with the power within her.

* * *

Xora smiled at the young senator opposite her. She motioned toward the opposite seat at the table, "Please, sit." The young woman was incredibly nervous, her eyes wide and quickly glancing around the room looking for threats. "Relax, you are perfectly safe here. Whilst you are our... guest, you are under the rules of hospitality."

Riyo Chuchi frowned, "Those are old rules, rarely used and usually only between nobility."

Xora nodded at her, "Indeed, but the General abides by such things, therefore we shall allow no harm to come to you whilst you remain and act honourably."

"So what will happen if I escape?"

Xora smirked at her, "Theoretically. Should you fail to escape, say through the air vents for example, we would allow you to make it within one hundred metres of a ship, enough that you could see it in detail before capturing you. We would then have to treat you as a potential spy or saboteur and contain you as a prisoner of war. We would secure your person in the ships brig under 24 hour surveillance and at least one of the Krait droids would be personally making sure you do not get a second chance to escape or survive a rescue attempt. Seeing as that was a theoretical question and you were obviously just checking for surveillance devices around your room and not planning to escape, that would not become a problem."

"Guests have the right to leave when they wish to."

"Normally that would be the case, however, your safety would be severely compromised should we just let you go, especially at this time. Republic security is currently torn between finding and recovering you and ripping every iota of information from you that might be of use to them. No, the reason you are our guest and not a prisoner is that you can still serve your people with us."

Chuchi leant back and crossed her arms but Xora caught the curiosity shining in her eyes, "How so?"

Xora chuckled, "Don't pout, whilst it is an adorable look for you, it does not suit you." As Chuchi blinked in surprise at the comment Xora continued, "You are still the legal and designated senator for Pantora. Your word still holds power and your reputation has sway with the people. I am currently unsure who you are more loyal to, the republic or your people. Now, currently your people are afraid and unsure what is happening, the Generals fleet has complete orbital and air control, the troops have been deployed and secured control of all military facilities and transport hubs. But to their eyes, nothing more has happened. In fact, distribution of supplies has improved and crime rates have fallen, I have a report that two hundred and nine wanted criminals handed themselves in for justice rather than try and run. But as any group of people do, they still fear the unknown. So. This is where you come in. I have the authority and interest in you to make you an offer."

"What sort of offer? One where I lie to my people that we are not conquered and everything will be okay?"

"No, nothing like that. Jade has few advisors he truly trusts, and few of those are any good at the civilian side of things. We had intended to make the offer to Senator Bonteri, but that was obviously prevented. Our next choice will not leave the republic at this time, which is their loss, not that I really like them much, but that's not here or there. We're talking about you. War is the focus of most of them whilst spy craft and crime my own. We lack a certain skill set and are looking to fill the vacancy. Jade himself has no interest in governing worlds, he just wants to be left alone so he can find what he is looking for and go home. You however, are a politician, one of the very few honest ones in this galaxy. One with honour and ideals you strive to maintain. A woman who brokered peace in a conflict which could easily have escalated to the point of the genocide of an aboriginal species. At great personal risk I might add, seeing as you were present in the later conflicts and faced their leader during a battle. You are as much a hero as many amongst Jade's ranks. More so in most cases."

Chuchi managed to maintain a cold facade at the praise, "Admiration for my heroics aside, in what reality do you think I would accept your offer."

"Why, this one of course. The offer is simple. Work for Jade and be a voice of civilization and calm within a council lacking such virtues. A voice that would be listened to and not ignored I assure you. You would be at the highest echelons to bring change, law and order to the galaxy, you would be able to do great things with such backing. You could begin a new golden age of civilization. Or you can retire from public service and return to your home. Either way, the option is yours. Don't make a decision yet, think about it. I will provide access to our network for you to have a more informed choice. No communications out of course, at least, at this time."

"And if I decide to fight you?"

"Then we shall defend ourselves, no more, no less. Evan does not approve of civilian casualties, so we'll do our best for that not to happen. Anyway, our first course is here, I do hope you enjoy it, Heka has discovered a talent and interest in cuisine. Its been quite an adventure with his experiments."

Chuchi raised an eyebrow at the thin stew, or was it a thick soup, placed before her. The oddity of the mix of ingredients she could identify was a little worrying, but politely trying a sip found an exquisite blend of flavours she would never have considered. "Wonderful, but I do have a question for you. Why are you making this offer now? I thought I was to wait upon General Jades return?"

"Ah, yes." Xora tore a chunk of bread from the loaf between them and dipped it into the liquid. "Evan has been delayed more than was expected. Don't worry he'll be back soon. Unfortunately our needs are becoming too great to delay any further, every day more systems are asking for his protection, hence my making the offer now."

Chuchi waited for Xora to finish swallowing with a satisfied hum, "Evan? Are you friends? Or more?"

"Friends? I believe so. More? As much as I could wish it were more. Well that's complicated. And personal." She smiled at Chuchi, "Whilst it's nice to talk to another woman around here, I do have to maintain security and a few secrets."

"Might I ask what Jade is up to then?"

Xora chuckled, "He's probably up to his eyeballs in trouble. Pretty typical for him all in all, if there's trouble, he'll be dealing with it, one way or another. I'm afraid he is cursed to live an interesting life."

* * *

Padawan Trew Olla emotions roiled around in him, his gut churned with what he had planned, bringing himself under control, he drew on meditative techniques to clear his mind. The Force was agitated but quickly calmed around him as he regained his focus.

He entered the Temple's gardens and headed towards his rendezvous point, the quiet evacuation allowing him to move without being stopped or queried.

"Commander." A quiet voice called out to him from an alcove as he passed it.

Smoothly joining the trooper, he glanced over the second clone at the back by an air vent access.

"Sergeant, are your brothers ready?"

"Ready and willing sir. We'll avenge the lost. I have a strike team ready and waiting to move on your call, my squad is ready to go immediately with you. We're all volunteers and all have sworn to do whatever it takes to take General Jade down. I also have a sniper nest prepped if we can draw him out into the open on the east side, we can get a shot on him."

Trew clasped the sergeant's wrist and shook it, "Together then. For the Fallen."

The sergeant grinned behind his helmet, "For the Fallen."

* * *

Cad Bane passed along a corridor, a group of initiates talking to each other as they passed him. He chuckled in amusement as fragments of their discussion reaching him, apparently he wasn't the only one here looking for the General. He smirked as he entered the turbolift. Well they should keep the Temple Guard busy whilst he got to work.

He exited on the correct level and moved towards the stairwell he required.

Checking his datapad to make sure of his route, he nodded to himself as he moved towards the crossroads three minutes ahead of schedule.

Anyone trying to get General Jade out of here would likely need to pass through this point.

He opened his pocket and released the spy droids to find the target and watch him. They were very expensive and illegal to acquire, but the fact that they were also explosives wasn't going to stop him from using them. Small but powerful, they could swarm and cause major damage to their target.

It wouldn't do to miss the target due to lack of preparation after all.

He sat in an alcove with a good line of sight and decent cover to begin with. Now he just had to hurry up and wait.

* * *

Evan Jade's burning emerald eyes seemed to dig deep with her soul until Elia blinked.

Suddenly he was in front of her, completely dry, not even a scent of the Bacta he had been saturated with.

A muffled crack and screech of metal less than a second afterwards demanded her attention and she saw with a glance that the Bacta tank had imploded. The Bacta leaking from large cracks in the glass as the metal had buckled from the sudden shift in pressure.

A pale finger rose and the tip of it pressed into the skin of her cheek below her eye. "I know you", he rasped at her, the finger quickly leaving her skin as if burnt. His eyes glanced around the room taking note of everything, before he frowned in annoyance. "This is not right." He blinked before focusing on her once more. "We've met before, amongst the rubbish in the clouds. You spoke and healed me."

"Elia, my name is Elia Tanna, that's right we've met before. You say you recognise me. Do you know where you are?"

He looked her in the eyes and she felt a pressure on her mind. "Secure room, Floor 17, below the Council Tower of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant." He blinked for a moment. "Sorry, that was rude. You were nice to me, I shouldn't do that."

She frowned at the fact that apparently he had read her mind without more than minor resistance, before the angry thoughts stalled at the smile he gave at the sight of her frowning.

Gathering her tattered control back, "I need to tell the Council I succeeded and that the Spirit is gone. Will you be alright if I leave you for a few moments to send a message? There's no direct link in here"

Evan blinked at her again. "Spirit. Voldemort. Horcrux." He stroked the scar on his forehead. "Yes, its gone. I'm free." he chuckled. "Free..." he seemed to savour the word before focusing upon her once more, cocking his head like a curious bird. "They did not destroy the Horcrux, you did. Why?"

"It was the right thing to do."

Evan began to chuckle before he grasped at his sides as the laughter grew to an almost manic level. "Right thing, right thing." He took a deep breath before slowly straightening up. "They will not forgive you for what you have done."

"I don't care. It was the right thing to do, you didn't deserve that thing corrupting you and making you do all those evil things."

He cocked his head to the other side and looked at her before nodding to himself. "You believed his words, the mask's words. Darth Abaddon."

She blinked in surprise at his phrasing, "He had no need to lie to us. The force rang true with his words."

Evan stared at her blankly for a moment before the glazed and blank look to his eyes started to fade, life and light returning. He partially smiled at her. "I am going to leave this place. Come with me, I can keep you safe."

"No, I broke the commandments of the Jedi Council to release you from the spirit, I'll freely admit to that, but we need to prove that it was the spirit and not you who did all those things." Her eyes flicked down for a moment before she began to blush as she realised his state of dress and physique in such close proximity to her. "And you're barely dressed, you can't go anywhere like that."

Evan smiled kindly at her. Dark mist rose from the shadows and flowed around him to form black robes covering him from view. "You did indeed free me from the Horcrux. You kept your word to me. They will punish you for that, especially because of your innocence in understanding the truth. You should come with me."

"I can't, and what do you mean?" The confusion filled the force around her.

With a sigh, he raised a finger to her forehead and at a slight tap, she collapsed asleep into his arms.

Placing her to one side where she would be safe of accidents, he stroked her hair away from her face. "You remind me so much of her, thank you. I'm going now, things will get messy after today. Never lose your path. Never compromise your morals. Don't become like me."

Conjuring a blanket and pillow, he laid it over her and protected her head from the cold floor with the pillow before walking towards the sealed bulkhead.

With a grunt and a clenching of his fists. The metal of the bulkhead buckled and twisted from the frame. Hydraulics tore and fluid leaked until, with a push of his hand, the door smashed into the wall opposite.

Harry strode out of the room and looked around, motion at the corner of the corridor caught his attention.

He made to step towards his chosen target when suddenly they were next to each other. His body reforming from the dark mist he had become. The Temple Guardian raised his lightsaber, his surprise rippling in the Force around them, both blades now ignited when harry merely reached out and plucked the handle from the Jedi's grasp. The body fell to the floor in two parts as Harry finished the combat technique he had begun as he acquired a weapon.

That was annoying, he kept losing focus on what was happening to him, but the effects were fading slowly. Clarity returning.

He took a step towards the stairway up when with a crack he was at the top of them. Frowning, he closed his eyes and felt for his magic. It was churning and violent, small eddies of calm that were slowly spreading. The colours of the energy merging amongst each other as they came to find a balance. Annoying, the absorption was still finishing, at least it wasn't all of Tom, that could have been messy.

Focusing his attention on each step, he wandered down the corridor like a drunk trying to walk a straight line. With each step he focused upon bringing his magic under control, a fraction more in alignment with each step. Each step bringing more and more focus to his mind, his awareness increasing.

The Jedi would be troublesome if they got in his way, but he was armed now. He just wished he had his wand as well.

* * *

Keelyvine Reus span, her blade an extension of her arm, without thought, the Force and her body guiding the motions. A dazzling display of skill, efficient and smooth in its flow between strikes.

Dooku casually deflected his ex-students blade to the side and knocked her away with a twist of their blades. He had barely started breathing heavily and she was already gasping for air, exhaustion setting into her muscles even as she tried to control her fear of him. Her muscles shook with the toxins running through them even with the Force as her ally, cleansing them away.

For the first time in her life she saw her duelling mentor fight without restraint, all those lessons, those experiences, and she thought she was close to his skill if not his equal. The fear was new, his gaze seemed to dissect her as they fought. The harshest part was not the small injuries she was sustaining but rather when he tutted and moved to correct her stance during the fight. Embarrassment, fear and awe warred in her mind, giving a clear advantage to Dooku's calm focus. She felt that she was as close to him in skill as an initiate was to her.

Dooku could feel the emotions churning in his student, he savoured the flavours as he enjoyed the sensation of teaching once again. A more brutal lesson than he would normally provide one of his favourites, but she would never forget the lessons taught today, they would be engraved upon her mind.

"Remember this lesson, let it drive you to excel. I am pleased with your progress and I look forward to our next meeting." Seeing the confusion in her eyes, he gave her a slight smirk, before his next slash knocked the blade from her grip, spinning it away amongst the fountains. In the fraction of a moment of distraction, he stepped within her guard to strike her in the sternum with his fist. A slight flash of red light around his fist showed the wandless and wordless stupefy that removed her from the fight.

Taking a deep breath at how surprisingly draining that spell had been he faced the doorway where he could feel his old master about to enter the room.

"Master Yoda. It's been a while since we last met like this. It appears that I have only the one hostage this time. I do hope you aren't disappointed." He drawled as he drew upon the Force and his magic to speed his recovery and readied himself.

"Dooku, pleasure this is not. But came you did not as Dooku. Came as Ademar, my Padawan."

"I thought it appropriate. I'm not here as the Count of House Dooku, today I am here as just Ademar Dooku of House Dooku. And I am here for what is mine. Give me Evan Jade and I will leave peacefully, deny me and I will do what is necessary to recover him."

"For him, wait you would not? Exchange still debated is."

"Do not lie to me Master Yoda. You had already decided, you and Master Windu both, I saw it in your reactions during our last conversation. The Council is weak and follows the lead of you two. A Master and their Apprentice. Oh, the irony."

Yoda blinked at the venom in Dooku's words. "Sith we are not Ademar."

Dooku chuckled at that, "A matter of perspective alone. You are just as corrupt as I, you just blind yourself to it. No matter. I came here because words would not succeed, only action. Shall we discover if you are still better than me?" He saluted with his lightsaber, calm focus filling him, his anger and hope strengthening his limbs for what was to come.

The Green Lightsaber igniting with the familiar hiss-crack was all the answer he needed.

* * *

A presence flickered across her senses and she opened her eyes as Skywalker landed on top of her cage. "Well, Hello Master." She gave him a small smirk as she looked up at him. "It took you long enough."

Standing he motioned to the landscape around them, "Well, I knew you had a nice view." He jumped back to the walkway and using the Force, lifted her cage beside him.

She flexed her power and pushed at the cage hatch, sending it tearing across the walkway. Climbing out she stretched her aching limbs, waiting for her masters plan.

"Are you okay?" Concern shining in his eyes, looking in them she realised something she had long ignored. Many of the other Jedi grew colder as they aged and experienced the galaxy. The light leaving their eyes. Skywalker had never changed, she could feel that sea of emotion churning away within him and she understood that he had always had this strength, and slowly she was gaining her own.

She mimicked grasping at the collar and breaking it open, the Force following her intent shattering it. "Whats the plan?"

He nodded at her, "I need you to get our ship. Be prepared for a quick exit. Here, take this commlink."

"Where are you going?" A flicker of annoyance running through her at being sent away rather than helping.

"The Queen knows where Obi-Wan is. Hold on to that commlink and wait for my signal."

She sighed in annoyance as she watched Skywalker leap away onto the roof of the palace, "Come on, Artoo, we have work to do."

After cloaking herself from the attention of others she made her way to the ship. Outside a guard stood watching the slaves at work at loading it with goods. Ahsoka walked directly up to him, the slaves parting around her looking at her in awe.

The guard moved forward, "Halt, this ship has been seized by Order of the Queen and is off…"

Her anger flaring at the miserable excuse for sentience before her, as she met his eyes, she rammed her power into his mind, binding it chains of her will, slamming down the weight of her authority upon his own will. His knees buckled under the pressure and he clawed at the floor, gasping as his lungs tried to work beneath her stifling presence, trying to resist until he finally surrendered.

He looked up into the sapphire blue eyes above him, glowing with an internal power before lowering them, he was not worthy to look upon her. "What is your will mistress?"

Ahsoka shuddered at the pleasure running through her at his words and felt sickened by her reaction. "Leave, go to the control tower and when they try to stop my flight, you are to prevent them from stopping me."

"As you wish mistress." He bowed and hurried off towards the tower, prepared to sell his very soul for his mistress's commands.

Artoo gave a confused chirp as they entered the ship.

"I don't know Artoo, I didn't think I was that good at misdirection. That didn't seem hard at all."

She got on board and prepared the ship to depart. Pondering at the ease with which she had stopped the guard. Reaching out with the Force, she could feel him like a flickering candle in the wind nearby.

The commlink beeped at her. "That's our signal, let's get going." As the ship lifted urgent calls began to come through the comms demanding information until suddenly the signal went quiet. Satisfied that the guard had cut the comms she reached out with her will and snuffed out that link to her.

Within the tower, the guard awoke from a waking nightmare as he looked over the dead tower staff that he had gunned down under the Togruta's orders. He could still feel her, a thin chain holding him to her will, with a wail of despair and terror at what had happened he drew his pistol and pressed the muzzle to his temple. Free, he would be free.

Ahsoka moved the ship to where the force was guiding her and watched as Skywalker jumped through the window to land on the boarding ramp. Quickly she began to close it and sealed the hatch as she pushed the engines to full power to get away.

* * *

The Commando droids made it into the heart of the Temple, their disguise allowing progress this far. They had reached an access point for the Temples network and were trying to hack into the system without the Jedi noticing.

In the library James watched the security feeds and savoured the amusement. A twitch and a signal was sent to the security desk, the screen would flicker on and off for a few seconds, long enough to draw the attention of the Temple guardians. Meanwhile he flooded that network section with junk data to slow their progress.

Less than three seconds later, he listened as Guardians were sent to investigate. A pair were also nearing his siblings, so he triggered a message to them guiding them towards the fight that was about to erupt. This was actually quite fun.

He watched as the Temple Guards saw the disguised droids, one moved to talk to them as the second cocked its head to the side before drawing their saber and attacking past its colleague.

Interesting, apparantly that one had not sensed living beings. He tagged that guard for his records, it would be awkward to track them, but he needed tactical data to aid his siblings. Leaving five percent of his processing focused on that conflict, he returned to make sure the plan continued without further disruption.

Scanning the surrounding area for Fathers possible escape routes, he noticed something odd. A Duro Jedi was waiting in an alcove near one of the major travel points in that area, he also caught glimpses of something moving in the shadows heading towards that same point. James pondered drawing some temple guards to the area, but decided against it. Instead he transmitted the intel to his siblings warning them to not take that route. Leaving another three percent to focus on the brewing fight, he shifted his focus away. Let the organics sort themselves out, there were much more important and entertaining sections to observe.

* * *

With a hissing clash their sabers parted, the two moving apart before returning to face each other in a series of rapid blows. Dooku slashed at Yoda, who leapt over the blade, bringing his own down towards Dooku's shoulder. A burst of force lightning drove the blade back, its wielder landed on the edge of a fountain, watching his opponent use the lightning almost like a whip of energy with his lightsaber at a rest position.

"Give him to me Jedi. Do not make me escalate this any further."

"Gone Jade is, dark spirit resides within him now. Lost the boy already you have. Surrender, my padawan, end this we can."

"You think Jade was possessed by a dark spirit? A Sith lord of old?" he chuckled and shook his head. "You truly are blind aren't you. Have you not eyes to see. Did you look upon him and examine him yourself? Or did you believe that you know best, no matter the details? Give him to me now and we shall leave with no further bloodshed. I ask one last time, after this there will be no more mercy."

Yoda frowned and drew deeply on his connection to the Force, its currently wild nature disturbing but understandable with Dooku's presence. "Matters not. Gone already has shell called Jade. Beyond your reach. Burn the darkness from its cage we will. Galaxy safer it will be. One life for uncountable. Easy trade it is."

Dooku snarled as he advanced upon his old mentor, his anger surging and the newer sensation of his magic rising to aid its wielder in his time of need. "Give him to me Yoda. Give me the boy. Now before it's too late."

Yoda sighed as he prepared to jump and begin his own attack, "Forgive me my old padawan, I cannot."

"Give me my son!" Roared Dooku as he charged, the lightning lashing out on its own at Yoda.

He managed to deflect the attack away and dodge the blade which followed it. Yoda could feel the strange power flooding through Dooku. Like the force but not quite, a wilder source, more primal, more chaotic. Proof that Dooku was affecting his own sense of the Force. He flinched as a strand of it lashed out at him, a thin wound opening on his arm and a fountain behind him suddenly froze solid into ice. He blinked as he realised, even the stone of the fountain had turned to ice. He would have tried to banter with his old student to try and discover what had changed. But the pure hate, rage and pain saturating Dooku was nauseating to even be near.

Dooku managed to knock Yoda back a good distance and as he snarled in rage he caught a glimpse of himself in the water around him, burning yellow eyes demanded his attention. He flinched and gathered himself. He closed his eyes and with a deep breath he centred himself, allowing Yoda a moment to breathe and recover.

"Once I would have carried on. Torn you apart and the temple around you. But I will not, he is here, I can sense his presence. No more lies Master Yoda. I will find him and we will leave this place. And you shall rue the day you took him from me and dread the day I choose to repay the debt."

With a flash of red light, he swung his lightsaber, surging forward to meet Yoda at the centre of the chamber.

The duellists danced amongst the fountains. No motion wasted, no gaps in either defence. Two masters of their styles fighting to the best of their skill. The Force sang through them, strengthening their muscles, quickening their limbs and purging toxins from their blood.

Finally, old age opened a gap in Master Yoda's defences. Just a slight delay in motion, but enough for Dooku to try something new.

As Yoda was in the air, leaping between two pillars, Dooku struck. Gathering his energies he struck with his anger and whispered a spell within the effect. A draining and difficult manoeuvre, but hopefully a game changing move. He was running out of time. Force lightning leapt out towards the small master but hidden within its light, a sickly yellow glow flowed amongst the bolts.

Yoda raised his saber, the lightning crashing into the green blade, but his eyes widened at the yellow energy ignoring the lightsabers blade and struck him in the chest.

He flew backwards, smashing into a fountains side as his nerves shrieked in an agony he had never felt before. He managed to make it to his feet as Dooku muttered another strange word and more of the sickly yellow energy rushed towards him.

Yoda gathered his focus and readied himself to absorb the dark side energies but as it connected with his hand, rather than be blocked, deflected or absorbed as he expected, the energy rippled through his nerves once more with a glee and speed that shattered his focus. His small and ancient body collapsed, muscles spasming and straining as his nerves screamed in pain. He focused his mind and tried to block the sensation.

Barely capable of thought, he tried to call upon the force in some manner to defend himself, but he lacked the concentration or focus to manage much more than spasming and twitching on the ground.

A lightsaber span across the chamber, forcing Dooku to dodge and stop his assault. The hilt flying back into Mace Windu's hand.

Yoda felt every year of his long life as he watched the two masters surveying each other and preparing for the fight to come. Gasping deep breaths, trying to fill his tortured lungs, he could barely keep himself conscious and capable of witnessing what was to follow.

Windu glanced at Yoda and grimaced slightly at the sight he had witnessed. "Count Dooku, he rumbled, surrender now or there can be no mercy." He carefully moved into a waiting stance as Dooku responded.

"Master Windu, I would say this is a pleasant surprise, but we both know otherwise. Will you surrender to me, or would you care to test yourself and see if you can manage better than Master Yoda?"

Windu surged forward without warning, his motion his response, dodging a blast of yellow energy he brought his saber down in an attempt to bisect his target and end the fight quickly.

Count Dooku had been many things in his life, a Sith Lord, a Jedi Master on the Council, a youth of a noble house, scholar, negotiator, orator, diplomat, leader of men, Master of the Makashi style. Everything he focused upon, he did his utmost to master it. Perfection in his chosen fields his goal.

Mace Windu had also been many things in his life, but the biggest difference in all this, was that he was a warrior above all others. He was a Battlemaster who had the rare ability to sense shatterpoints. A sense that was screaming at him that a major point was approaching. A shatterpoint his instincts were screaming to prevent at all costs.

Where Dooku fought a duel, Windu brought War.

* * *

Harry walked the corridors, unsure of where he needed to be to escape but trusting in the Force and his Magic to guide him where he needed to be, humming a simple tune to himself. He couldn't remember where he had heard it before, but it was relaxing to listen to.

He came to a crossroads and a Jedi with a squad of clone troopers almost ran into him.

Harry smiled at the sight of the Padawan who stank of fear as he realised who he had run into. "I know you," he pointed at Trew, "We've fought, ah yes, I gave you twenty seconds last time, will you try again? Or will you run?"

Trew snarled, "For the Fallen." He ran to one side as the troopers spread out and began to fire upon Harry.

Harry raised an eyebrow at the tactic and words, using the acquired saber he began to deflect the shots away, he flicked his offhand towards a trooper and sent him flying back, snapping his spine around a pillar.

Trew leapt into the combat, his blade rapidly striking as the troopers moved to cover, Harry parrying with more force than was required, the force fuelling his strength, feeding from the Padawan's fear, anger and hatred. Trew quickly started to tire and leapt back, the troopers immediately filling the area with blaster fire. A grenade was quietly rolled into the area, but was immediately thrown away by another flick of Harry's hand.

Getting bored, Harry surged forward, deflecting the shots back at the troopers, kicking Trew in the leg and knocking him to the ground. Swiftly he grabbed the Padawan with the Force and lifted him as a shield against the troopers.

"What now?" He called out as Trew struggled at the choking grip on his throat.

The sergeant nodded to his brothers, "Whatever is necessary."

The troopers immediately opened up, their blaster fire rapidly tearing through the Padawan to Harry's surprise, quickly he dropped the body and deflected what shots he could, a few having clipped him during his moment of confusion.

He blinked and opened his mouth to call out when a trooper rushed up and grabbed his left arm, a few stray shots striking the trooper. "For the Fallen!" the trooper yelled, the whine of the grenade almost hidden in the noise.

Harry quickly severed the troopers arm at the elbow and apparated away from the blast.

The Troopers quickly advanced to check if they had caught him when he jumped from his cover, as they turned to fight him, he slaughtered the four troopers in a few seconds, leaving only the sergeant alive.

Grabbing the sergeant with the force, harry kept his distance as he rammed his prisoner against a wall, stunning him. A flick of his hand and a surge of magic and the helmet shattered and flew apart.

Pinning the clone like a butterfly to a board, harry advanced to try and discover what could have brought this about. Without even thinking about it, he poured his mind into the clones, ripping through what little defence there was he powered through the memories floating around him before once more coming across the burning darkness hidden within the depths of the clones mind. Curiosity at a second chance at looking at this thing, he quickly grasping it with his power, tearing into it, refusing to let it burn itself apart before he could extract any information.

A small part of him was thankful that Voldemort had been a natural at this skill and enough remnants had been absorbed to allow him to do this. He mentally shuddered at the idea of thanking Voldemort for anything before returning his focus to his task.

He grasped what he could as it writhed within his mental grip, he dug for the deepest secret hidden within and finally found what had been hidden in plain sight. Order 66. The Order was simple, 'In the event of Jedi officers acting against the interests of the Republic, and after receiving specific orders verified as coming directly from the Supreme Commander (Chancellor), GAR commanders will remove those officers by lethal force, and command of the GAR will revert to the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) until a new command structure is established. '

He'd read this before, it was in a public document for anyone to view should they desire. But why hide it like this? Why would it need to burn itself away if someone tried to...

Why would it destroy itself if a Jedi tried to read the mind of a clone and began to dig like this.

He examined the emotions and intent wrapped around the Order, pondering the sensations for a few moments he came to realise that the clones would have no choice. They must obey this order, the others were mere training, they could be altered or ignored if required, dependant on the circumstances. This though, it was almost an instinct for the clones to follow, hardwired into their brains by an organic chip. The chip would not show up to most scanners, medical scans would show it, but if you were taught that it was meant to be there, then you would not question it.

He tried to imagine the subconscious pain of having this coiled in your mind. Working with the Jedi, making friends with them, loyalty and trust, honour and pride. Then one day, a message would come and you would watch your body kill the Jedi. That niggling feeling at the back of your mind, every time you looked at the Jedi, something within you wanted them dead and not understanding why.

He withdrew from the clones mind, letting the darkness finish its self-destruction. He dropped the clone and looked down at the drooling mess that remained, all the life gone from his mind, his body rapidly failing as it shut itself down.

"I pity you, I really do. But I know now. I will do what I can to stop it ever happening."

Walking away, he reached out with the Force and triggered the rest of the grenades on their bodies, destroying the evidence. He had work to do.

From within the shadows of a nearby doorway, a trooper from the backup team signalled the retreat to his brothers. Watching as the Alor'be'haran left his brothers remains, they had no chance at this time, so he observed with the promise of retribution and gaining Intel on their target.

With a whispered "For the Fallen", he retreated and sent the signal to hide and prepare.

* * *

Sidious' agent moved through the shadows, he had been raised there, the light a gift for pleasing his tutors. His presence cloaked from the Force, he was a ghost sliding through the Chaos as the Jedi ran around in confusion. Still, it was rather pleasing to watch as they bumbled around as if blind to the danger they were in.

He was about to take some stairs to a lower level to get to his target when a nearby explosion caught his attention. Frowning he moved to investigate, the only ones with explosives should have been the clone troopers and there shouldn't have been any in this area.

As he got closer a much larger explosion occurred, surprised and worried about being detected, he quickly moved into a nearby alcove, surprisingly coming face to face with a Duro Jedi.

They both froze in surprise for a moment before the Duro kicked the Agent in the chest knocking him back into the corridor. The agent rolled, drawing his blade and igniting it. The force cried out and he deflected the blaster shots.

Blinking in surprise he looked at the Jedi in confusion as he stood there with a pair of pistols in his hands rather than a lightsaber. The Duro's red eyes quickly scanned over the agent's armoured body and the red saber blade before snarling. "Oh hell no, he's mine. You aren't getting him." With that he ran to one side into better cover and began firing at the agent.

The agent quickly realised that his opponent was no Jedi, there was no Force ability other than his own in the area. This must be an assassin or some similar scum. Snarling in annoyance at being discovered by the Duro rather than an actual threat, he quickly moved to advance but was rather rapidly driven back by the rate of fire and accuracy of his opponent. Any gap in his defence was quickly attacked with an almost unnatural accuracy. Snarling, he had to activate the other end of his saber and begin rotating it to deflect as much as possible. He had no edge at this range, he needed to be closer.

Cad Bane however was firing for his life. This was no Jedi, this was some kind of force using assassin and he was in the way. His accuracy and rate of fire was fuelled by his adrenaline and luck. He stopped thinking and just let his body react to the threat as he tried to think of a way out of this.

He quickly glanced around, finally spotting a much thinner corridor to one side, he triggered his boots to leap across into the entranceway. The assassin followed but could no longer spin his blades with the lack of room. Using the opportunity, Cad ran for the other end, if he could get there before the assassin cut him down, he could fill the corridor full of blaster fire and kill his opponent.

He glanced behind and panicked at the fact that the assassin was closing rapidly. His eyes widened at the shock, he reacted and turned on the spot, tripping over his own feet. Luck stayed with him as he fell back and avoided the thrust of the red blade.

Sliding on his back, he triggered his boots and emptied his clips at his opponent. With horror he watched most of the shots impact on the armour but not punch through. Leaving the small passage he slammed into the wall across from the archway. He quickly summoned his spy droids and grabbed for the grenade on his belt. Throwing it in the corridor he quickly rolled to one side and began running. The grenade impacted where he had been laying and exploded. He was knocked from his feet by the blast and rolled back to his knees. He quickly ejected the clips and began reloading.

The assassin rushed through the smoke and smashed into him with the force, Cad's pistols span away with the impact. He blinked in surprise as his back hit another wall, his head cracking against the wall. Blinking the multiple images away, he triggered his wrist mounted holdout pistols and began to fire.

A flash of red tore across his vision and he watched numbly as his left arm span away, the end of the pistol in his right hand molten from the lightsaber. A gauntleted fist grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up. Looking into the black glass of the eye slots, he glared his hate and anger.

This was not what was supposed to happen, this was not how he died. A beep on his waist told him his droids had found their new target. A quick press of a button and the back of the assassin exploded in a series of explosions. The assassin roared in pain and dropped Cad.

Reaching for his last weapon available to him, the green blade ignited through the assassins gut. The roar of anger swiftly turning into a scream of pain.

Another flash of red and Cad could no longer feel his other arm or even his chest. Trying to breath he gasped and choked, managing to spit on his attacker as a last refusal to submit.

The agent fell to his knees, the lightsaber having been torn from his side by removing his opponents arm. He gasped as the cold of pain relief and stim packs rushed through his veins from the armours automatic medical systems. That alone told him how bad the wound was.

Grasping his side he staggered to his feet and leant against the wall.

There was no chance for him to succeed now. He was starting to doubt whether he would even escape now. He had no chance if a Jedi found him.

Carefully he began to head towards his extraction point, he would be able to slip away and make it a few levels down. He could summon his ship then, the droid on board would be able to fix his side.

He glanced at the Duro's face, he would remember this one at least. He would have a scar to remember the occasion as well. Grunting in effort he began to stagger away.

His Master was not going to be pleased.

* * *

Set pulled his blades out sideways from the Jedi he had just killed, as the four parts fell at his feet, he scanned the rest of the combat. Sirius motioned onwards, dropping the body of his victim to one side.

James sent a new route update with threats marked and a predicted route for Father. Luckily they were very close.

Silently the four ran along the roof of the main corridor, closing o Father. Set tapped a claw against the datapad with everything he had gathered to show Father. He was well aware of Fathers luck, he would give no chance for him to not receive the important intelligence and get himself hurt or killed due to a lack of effort on Set's part.

Reaching a T junction, they checked the latest update and watched as a squad of temple guards ran beneath them heading for Father. Snarling in anger Set detached his claws, twisting in the air. The Jedi beneath him sensed the danger and looked up to receive the large weight of Set landing upon his skull. A splatter of red and pieces of gore stained the ground as the other guardians turned at the attack, each to be cut down as his brothers landed and tore their victims apart with their cortosis blades.

Father at that point turned the corner and smiled at them. "My Children, I am glad to see you. What's the evac plan? Set is that you? Why are you here?"

Sirius stepped forward, "Father. I'm glad to see you too. Did your plan work?"

Harry nodded and smiled at the droids. "It did, we can go home now. Where's James?"

Anhur stepped forward as his brothers watched the corridors, "He is remaining behind Father, he wishes to ensure there's no evidence and will return soon. Come, we must leave. The fastest route will be through the Hall of Fountains. I will lead the way."

As the group moved, Set fell beside Harry. "Father we must talk and we have little time." He passed harry the datapad. "I know this is an inopportune moment, but I do not wish to rsik the information not being of use to you. This has everything we have uncovered. You must not trust Dooku, he has likely sent assassins after you. He dismissed me from his service but not before I witnessed worrying events."

Harry glanced at Set. "What do you mean?"

"We do not have enough time. The information is on the pad. Please, we just want you to be safe."

Harry sighed, "I will keep it in mind Set. But I doubt Dooku did anything that bad in regards to me."

Anhur raised a claw and signalled a halt. "There is fighting ahead, we may be able to use it to cover our movement across the hall of fountains." He looked to Harry with a cocked head to question his decision.

Harry nodded, "Lead on, I want to get out of here before the entire council descends upon us."

* * *

Rapidly Windu advanced, a series of blows from different directions, powerful enough to give his lightsaber momentum as it bounced back from Dooku's. No hesitation, no moments of consideration or doubt. Windu gave himself to the Force and trusted it to guide him to victory.

A quiet, cold and focused rage fuelled him, bubbling beneath the surface but chained to his control.

Dooku quickly fell back on the defensive. He had practiced against Mace Windu in the past, but now understood that Windu had always shackled himself, always held himself back.

Against a Sith Lord, he had no such issues.

Quickly nearing exhaustion, Dooku looked for any opportunity to escape, or at least return the field to his favour.

Seeing the distraction, Windu focused upon it and after three blows that struck like turbolaser bolts, a gap opened in Dooku's shaky limbs. Sensing the moment to strike, Windu thrusted his blade, the point aimed for Dooku's heart.

Dooku seeing the blow coming and unable to avoid it, surrendered himself to the Force and drew on his lessons and debates with Harry. With a slight twist and the three D's, he tore himself through space with a crack and scream.

Mace Windu blinked in surprise as the blood burned away from the lightsaber blade as reality shifted, leaving strips of bloody flesh, an eye and a leg behind. He turned to see Dooku leaning against a nearby fountain.

Dooku could feel the Force gathering to staunch the blood flow but it would not be enough, he winced as he drew his lightsaber across the stump of his leg, cauterising the wound to save his life. Blood dripping from his empty eye socket and the fractures in his armour, a scorched hole over his heart. Dooku glared his hatred at Windu as he began to slide to the ground, the shock and blood loss driving him to the edge of unconsciousness.

Mace Windu's rumbling voice echoed through the chamber, "Darth Tyranus, your rescue attempt has failed. Surrender to the Jedi or you will be slain."

From a nearby archway a cold and harsh voice hissed out, "Never. Never Surrender, never give in, never give up."

Windu looked over to meet the burning green glow from General Jades eyes. For a moment, doubt filled him, could he win? Then with a quick mental recitation of the Code he found focus and clarity.

"It appears you are trying to escape General, you should also surrender before it is too late."

Harry raised a finger to his lips and shh'd Mace Windu, turning to Dooku, he quickly looked over the injuries and motioned to his children. "Use the extraction you had planned for me, get him out of here safely. Get him medical attention."

Set stepped forward, "But Father..."

"No, I will deal with your concerns later, get him out of here. I have something to do here and I'll catch up with you."

Set gave a hesitant nod and motioned to his brothers, gathering the unconscious Dooku up, they quickly fled the battleground as ordered.

Harry took a deep breath before turning to face the Jedi, "Master Windu, let me make this very clear to you. Before today, I really didn't like you. Now... Now you have my undivided attention."

Mace Windu was a warrior, a scholar of the lightsaber styles. He brought War to all his real battles. The shatterpoint was so close, it grated at the edges of his senses.

General Evan Jade however, was a just a name, a mask for Harry Potter.

Harry Potter was fighting to protect someone he cared for. Within his short life, there had been a simple rule of existence. Don't hurt those important to Harry Potter, just ask the Basilisk how that ends.

For Harry, this was not war, this was just violence.

Harry quickly advanced, his style shifting with each step as if unable to decide how he would fight Windu. Windu in return chose to move onto the attack as quickly as he could. Better to control the fight from the start than try and recover such an advantage later.

A series of attacks rained down on Harry's defences, testing him, searching for weakness. He allowed them to continue, analysing his opponent at the same time.

With a smirk and a moment of meeting each other's eyes, Harry whispered "Legilimens" and hammered into Windu's mind, but was quickly driven off, he smirked at Windu as the Masters eyes widened at the intrusion. He had gained enough in that moment to more accurately read his opponent.

"Did you know that the CIS has extensive filed about you Master Windu?"

His opponent grunted rather than respond, before shifting around and tried to drive harry into a corner.

"Indeed, I was actually surprised at the level of detail, but then I discovered why. Smirking at his opponent as their blades clashed. It's because of your failures. Your padawan's were most enlightening. Both fell to the dark side, both just trying to make you proud. Both lost to you. Then there was the Jedi who helped you refine Vaapad, Sora Bulq. How did that go? Do you believe that everything you touch is tainted? Is that why you haven't taught anyone else in the years that have followed. Are you so afraid of when they will fall because of your weakness?"

Windu snarled as he finally drove Harry into the corner. "I have no words for you Sith."

Harry chuckled, "No matter, I have my answer. Now, I've let you play, it's my turn now. With that he moved forward towards Windu who raised an eyebrow in confusion at the undefended attack. His eyes widened as Jade twisted mid step and disappeared with a crack of displaced air. His connection to the Force the only thing that saved him as his arm moved to block the saber with his own.

He gasped in surprise, "How? What are you?"

Harry smirked, "I'm… complicated."

With that harry began his assault, the air hammered by cracks of displaced air. Every time Windu went to parry a blow, Harry apparated to a flank, Windu only just managing to deflect the blow away in time. The tip of Harry's blade scorching Windu's flesh, never cutting deeper than the surface. Each riposte striking at empty air as Jade was suddenly somewhere else.

Windu jumped back into an open space, flinching as a leg almost gave way. His momentary lapse enough for Jade to disappear.

"Does it hurt Jedi? To not understand, to not know, to fear what I could do. Does it niggle at the back of your mind, wondering why? Why don't I take a killing blow?"

Windu looked around, trying to find where the voice was coming from, finally spotting the dark shadows though a fountains flow of water. He relaxed and drew upon his connection with the Force, opening his mind to his vicinity to find where Jade jumped next.

"I have been taught by some of the best, I have fought some of the best. But never have I been so disappointed by an opponent. But here's a secret. I haven't been trying to kill you. The Force won't warn you as it knows that you will live through today. I have marked you, tested you and found you wanting. I wonder, how many Jedi will you sacrifice to try and kill me now? Especially when they see that I chose to let you live."

Windu snarled and called out "Fight Me! Stop talking, your attempts to confuse or intimidate me will not work."

"How about if I cut Master Yoda's throat instead then? If you surrender, I will spare him, but I will take the debt from your flesh instead. What do you say?"

"Enough!"

With a crack, Jade was standing next to Yoda's crumpled body. "I'll take that as a no." He swiftly kicked Yoda in the ribs and raised his blade to impale the master. Windu surged forward trying to stop the attack when Jade smiled and disappeared elsewhere.

"You know what, I think I'm going to leave you with the image of what I could do to you. What I could have done to Yoda, what I could still do. I'm going to leave you wondering when I'll be back to take what you owe me."

With a crack, Windu felt jade had gone. Relaxing a moment, he tried to find his opponent through the Force but it suddenly screamed a warning which saved his eye as the tip of the saber passed him by. The blade span, the other end igniting and carving into the flesh of his leg, leaving a gouge where Dooku had the limb cauterised.

With a grunt, Windu pushed Jade away who laughed and disappeared once more with another crack.

"Sweet Dreams master Windu, till next time."

* * *

Set, Sirius, Anhur and Mehen packaged Dooku within the container they had prepared for their Father.

Set snarled at the box. "We could kill him now, be free. Father would be safe."

Anhur stepped between Set and the container. "And Dooku's master? Will Father be safe from him? No, we complete Fathers orders and he will contact us in order to be picked up. Father knows what he is doing."

Mehen finished sealing the container and joined them. "We need to go, we have provided father with what we can, he has chosen to fight Mace Windu, we must trust that he knows what he is doing and that he can escape if events turn against him."

Sirius finally joined them. "I have found where his vessel is. James has informed me that the commando droids have all been lost in combat and self-destructed removing any evidence. I have summoned the labour droids to move the container and a program has been prepped to inform the pilot to leave immediately upon the container being secured. Another warning will trigger once they reach orbit to alert them as to the contents."

Anhur nodded, "Good, we must leave immediately, fear not Set, I imagine there will be plenty more enemies for you to fight, maybe even a few Jedi masters. If father's luck holds you will get your chance to face Dooku in combat."

* * *

Ahsoka followed Skywalker from the ship, rushing towards the education facility. Her emotions bubbling within her, trying to free themselves and take action. Carefully she channelled them to useful endeavours, she would not lose control, she would be fine.

She flinched as their ship exploded under the turbolaser fire, before regaining control, her mind easily slipping into a combat footing.

Skywalker smirked before joking with her, "So much for a ride home."

The humour helped her regain control, they would get in trouble, they would snark, then there was a fight and they would get out alive and intact. That was the way of things, the routine comforting to her. "What now?"

"We get through the old-fashioned way." Ramming his lightsaber into the door, he began to cut his way in.

After a few moments, the screen by the door lit up and they turned to see Obi-Wans face, beaten and bruised but alive. "Anakin, I'm glad to see you. But I'm afraid our host feels otherwise."

Anakin gave Kenobi an amused smile, "You can't make everyone happy Master." He quickly returned his focus to cutting into the facility.

"They're threatening to kill the slaves unless you surrender."

"It's good to see you always ready to negotiate." He almost snarled in anger but maintained his control. "But I've had enough bargaining with slave drivers."

"You must realize this is a fight you cannot win alone."

Anakin smiled again in response, "Who said I was alone?"

Ahsoka watched as the republic fighters entered the airspace around the facility and began firing. A shudder ran through the structure as she glanced at Skywalker, "I hope you told Master Plo not to destroy this installation, before we get off of it."

Skywalker continued his work with a slight glance I her direction. "Yeah, All of us, and the slaves." Finally finished cutting, he kicked the bulkhead, using the Force alongside to knock it flying back.

Ahsoka sighed before following him, "We'll need a bigger ship." She watched as Skywalker carved through three guards as they tried to stop them, shaking her head as she felt his emotions through the force.

The structure shuddered slightly every so often, she imagined a crashed fighter or a lucky shot getting through the defences.

Running through the corridors, the alarms blaring, Skywalker's commlink caught the comms between Master Plo Koon and Kenobi.

It was disturbing to hear the level of panic in Kenobi's voice. He must be on the brink of breaking, how harsh had it been here? "The controls are destroyed, master Plo. There is nothing we can do from here."

Even Plo koon sounded frustrated, "I cannot move the cruiser in the rescue operation until those enemy cannons aren't destroyed."

Skywalker entered the conversation, "We'll take care of those cannons. Make sure that cruiser gets down here. We're running out of time."

Ahsoka glanced at Skywalker, "I'm going to go help my people. I'll see if I can buy us some time." Quickly she turned away following her senses, leading her to the Togruta Slaves.

Without looking back, he ran down a different corridor, "Good luck."

Quickly she came across the entrance to the chamber the Slaves were contained within. It was too big for her to use the force on in the time she had, swiftly she ran across to the control panel, trusting in the force she quickly opened the doorway.

Seeing the walls were electrified and the floor opening up, she swiftly jumped across amongst them. A cry of "A jedi!" gave her some hope and she pulled on that to help restore herself.

Looking around, she tried to find a way to help them get out of there.

With a series of shudders, the number of the turbolasers went silent. Her comm chirped as Skywalkers voice cut in. "We're all clear Master Plo, bring the cruiser down to the landing pad."

Sighing in frustration, she barged into the communication. "Cancel that order, master! There is no way to get the people, out of the holding cell and up to the landing platform. But I have an idea. We need to have the cruiser move in underneath the facility. We can escape on to the ship, If admiral Coburn can get a close enough."

With a roar of its engines holding it in the sky, she watched as the cruiser moved into position, the tower beneath the station smashed out of the way, the metal ripping and crumpling under the impact. An extended shudder ran through the structure at that, she could feel it starting to shift and break under the strain.

Finally the cruiser was in position and she watched as five jump troops launched up and fired grapple lines into the chambers roof. Turning to the slaves, she smiled at them and motioned them forward. "Okay, everyone. Get ready. We'll have to go by groups."

She watched as they began to slide down the cables, quickly being ushered into safety. One of the women fell, having missed the cable as the floor continued to move.

With a twist and surge of the Force within her she found herself standing on the cruiser, she quickly blinked away the confusion and used the Force to grab the falling woman safely. "Gotcha!"

The jump troops caught the remaining slaves as they fell, unable to reach the grapple lines. The sergeant landed in front of her, "That's everyone. We have to go. The facility's breaking up."

She nodded and led the last few inside. Standing at the hatchway, she watched as the cruiser got clear, the gunships opening up on the supports, already strained and twisted slightly by the combat, they quickly tore apart. She watched with satisfaction as the facility buckled and collapsed on itself, quickly falling into the chasm below it.

She sat and relaxed, watching over the now released slaves as they celebrated amongst themselves for their returned freedom.

Soon they were in orbit and Skywalker passed her, motioning for her to follow, they came upon Masters Kenobi and Plo Koon talking with Governor Roshti. "I thank you, Jedi, and the republic for saving our lives."

Skywalker smiled and motioned towards his Padawan, "Ahsoka is the real hero. Without her creativity, I don't think we would gotten your people to safety."

Roshti smiled at her, "Indeed. Padawan Tano, might I have a word in private?"

She nodded curious of what he wished to discuss. "Of course." A quick glance showed her master nodding and smiling in approval of her.

"Ahsoka, You have done a great deed for your people today."

She felt his emotions through the Force, "You're sad?"

"Well, you and the Jedi have done your best, but I do not think our people will recover from this horror anytime soon."

Calling upon all her lessons, she turned to face him. "I understand, but in the end, surviving this were only strengthen on the people."

"Perhaps." He smiled at her before continuing. "And perhaps the people of Kiros, will also join the republic."

Nodding in approval, she smiled at him. "I think that's a wise choice, governor."

* * *

Master Windu sat in his seat, medical equipment silently tracking his health during this meeting. "Let us review what we know about General Jade and recent events. He is a skilled fighter, willing to take risks for victory. He is very unorthodox, using his own style of combat, he takes fragments from different styles and uses what works when he needs it. He has hand to hand and lightsaber styles, no mastery of anything, but the fluidity of shifting between moves is impressive. He also channels his emotions into his fighting."

Oppo Rancisis leant forward slightly, "He is skilled in the force, I would not class as a master of anything in particular. Strong though. A few very rare and obscure abilities in his repertoire. A few things that I did not think a Sith would be able to learn."

Master Yoda's voice cut through the mutterings at that, he still shook with the after effects of whatever Dooku had done to him, but he continued as if nothing had happened to him. He nodded in agreement to Rancisis, "Fold space he can, Aing-Tii secret. Very secretive Aing-Tii are. Records say years to learn it does. Focus. Time to use it takes. Like walking Jade is able. Aing-Tii ships across the galaxy they move instantly. Jade's range unknown is."

Master Ki-Adi-Mundi waved his hand across the datapad before him. "So, what is to be done? We know the danger he is, a strong strike team was sent to capture him but came out of it with major injuries. All who were there have been marked by the incident in some fashion. I've read the report on the fight, they had great difficulty in capturing him, even though it appears he wanted to be captured. We know the reason, Knight Tanna did exactly what he wanted. We've all read her report, he awoke and appeared confused that she was alone."

Master Jocasta Nu spoke out, "I thank the council for allowing me to discuss this matter, but what worries me most is her description of the spirit itself and the ritual she used. I don't know where she found the information. The file she showed me had been gathered from fragments of other records, she also appeared to have found incorrect translations of the text. Her intent was to remove the possessing spirit from Evan Jade. The result was something she had no concept of."

Master Kcaj leant forward in his chair, "What shall we do with her? She has great potential, but her naivety seems to be a danger to her position in the field. She put herself in direct risk as the teams medical support during Jades capture. Once I could allow, but this on top? Something needs to be done."

Master Agen Kolar harshly declared to the council, "We put her on trial for her actions. Disobeying the Council, accessing sealed documents, aiding a Sith in their escape. She will not deny her guilt. We will have to keep it quiet however, punish her in some fashion without it being obvious to others. We cannot let it be known one of our own aided the Sith. She may even be a spy or corrupted by their interactions..."

Mace Windu made a sweeping motion with his hand to stop Kolar from continuing. "Enough. We will listen to her make her case, then we shall judge her appropriately for her role in the incident, not as a scapegoat for Jade. It is my belief that she was played just as the entire strike team were. As we all were. On to other matters, the incident with Padawan Olla Trew and the clone troopers. What do we know about that?"

Master Saesee Tinn shrugged as they turned to look at him, "Very little, none of the troopers within the temple know anything about what happened. Although I have a list of missing troopers unaccounted for. It's possible they are dead, killed in the chaos, but part of me doubts that."

Windu nodded, "Keep it quiet, but see what can be uncovered about them."

Master Tera Sinube answered from his seat to one side, "I shall help in this, I will dig deeper and see what I can uncover. My contacts might be of help in this."

Master Mundi then motioned towards the incident report in his hand. "What do we tell the senate? They will have noticed something happened and the losses of clone troopers, whilst only an insignificant number in the grand scheme will be noticed. They died on Coruscant, in the Jedi Temple."

Master Tholme spoke from the shadows as he watched the city move below. "We inform the senate that we were running a combat drill with the idea of a covert insertion of Dooku and troops to assassinate members of the council. We alter records to show the clones died on the warfront and not in the Temple. Say we used their ID's for authenticity in the drill if anyone digs deep enough and finds out about them. Claim it was a test of security for an enemy stealing ID's and using them. We can scale things up for the next one to make them believe us."

Master Tinn raised an eyebrow at this, "Next one? And what if they ask why we chose to perform such a drill in the Temple before anywhere else?"

Tholme scoffed, "We will have to do it again to show that it was a test and not an attack. And to answer your second question, its simple, we needed to ensure that we had dealt with any issues before we began elsewhere. Ask the senate's permission to run a drill such as this within the senate chamber itself, it will help boost morale and faith in us. It will also allow us to observe a few of the senators and access areas beyond our normal reach without complaint."

Master Kcaj leant forward. "Who will prepare such plans and drills though? The war consumes most of our time and resources and the senate will want to see them immediately, after all we would have the plans before starting such tests."

Tholme chuckled as he turned around to face the Council. "I already have a number of files detailing such plans. A few alterations and we can claim it was one of those. I have six for the senate itself, allow them the option to pick which scenario to test."

Master Mundi sat back and raised an eyebrow at this. "Why would you have made such plans?"

Tholme chuckled, "Why wouldn't you?"

* * *

Darth Sidious looked down at the image of his agent, the Pau-un male, tall, lithe and powerful, shuddered under his gaze. He raised an eyebrow, he wasn't going to enjoy this conversation. "Speak."

"My Lord, I have failed in one of your commands."

Sidious allowed a touch of anger to colour his words, "You failed to acquire the samples?"

The agent flinched at the question, "No my Lord. Evan Jade lives. I was unable to terminate him during his escape. I offer myself for your judgement."

Sidious glared down upon him. "No excuses? No blame upon others?"

"No my Lord, you gave me orders and they were not completed. There is no excuse for such failure."

Sidious smirked, pleased with his agents loyalty and dedication. "Good. Do not fail me again. Your heart still beats only by my will. The samples?"

Releasing a slight breath of relief, "They were placed at the drop point and should be on route as we speak."

"Good. Return to Arkanis, begin preparations for Project Harvester and when next I speak to the head of your order, I expect to discuss matters further with you."

"As you command my Lord."

Sidious cut the connection and returned to his office. He pondered how the Jedi would try and spin things from earlier today. Maybe he should prod them? No. That could draw their attention upon him, let them tell the galaxy their lies and then he would have more material for the repercussions of the end of this game and the start of the next.

He rubbed his belly as he turned off the lights in the room, his gut still churning from the discomfort when his connection to the Force reacted to the events at the Temple. He'd reined it back under his dominance, but it had left lingering worries. Something in the game had changed more than he had planned, he would need to spend valuable time checking over everything to ensure nothing had disturbed anything he had in the works.

He sat at his desk, the skyline the only light source for the room. He opened the datapad on his desk, drawing the Sith glyph of revelation upon its screen, the datapad connected to the network he had installed quietly for his own use.

He opened a few progress reports and added notes and orders for the lesser agents and minor plans. Nothing had gone wrong there. The tedium complete, he moved on to the more important plans.

Project Harvester was in its final preparation stages, facilities had been constructed and secured. Records wiped and personnel transferred. All that was missing were the targets. His list had been refined, a number of children were already under surveillance and his agents ready to acquire them. The Bounty Hunter had been most useful in distracting the Jedi with the least interesting subjects. A pity about the Mustafar facility, but it was an acceptable loss in the grand scheme. It was a long term plan, but worth the investment. Nothing to worry about with this plan either.

Project Vitiate had reached a progress block. The message had been received this morning, so that wasn't what had worried him. The Kaminoan scientists had refined the cloning process to acceptable standards, but the chance of the clone maintaining the connection to the Force he required was less than one in a thousand. And that link was barely useful. The one success so far had had a seizure upon attempting to levitate a wooden block. Not good enough for his plans. He glanced at the urn that contained his Masters ashes. He had ignored his Masters theories and hobbies believing them a waste of time and resources. But maybe there was something hidden amongst the ravings that could be of use. He made a note on the file to transfer the records to the facility; maybe they could glean a missing clue from the notes. Eternal life was such a difficult process to acquire. Darth Vitiate had the right concept but used a horrendous idea. Using bodies other than your own left a weak link which could be broken, using your own body removed that weakness. Plus he was comfortable with it, a touch of vanity perhaps, but he was on route to being asked to rule the galaxy by the people, who else could they trust?

Checking the next file made him smile, his future apprentice was dealing with the slaver issue caused by the Zygerrians. That would be a volatile mix, Kenobi and Tano were with him. Maybe this would be a good point to strike at his close friends, weaken his control, and plant the elements to start the final stages. He tapped his finger on the side of the datapad before smiling and typing in his order. Kill the Padawan. There, that should mix things up nicely, open him up for the next step in bringing him to heel.

About to put the datapad down, he stopped, he had a new project to deal with now.

Opening the Project Titan file he scanned the basics in place. Ten per cent of the Cloning facility resources were being shifted across for this. Dr Sionver Boll would be a good project lead, it would mean delaying any progress on Project Zillo, but that could be picked up again later, a swipe of his finger made that an order. The samples were on route, now he just needed the females to progress further. He had pondered cloning Jade, but he had seen a vision of where that path would lead. Nothing good for him. Whilst it would have resulted in the complete annihilation of the Jedi, more effective than his own plans would be, it would also have resulted in the complete destruction of the Sith as well. He had received no visions to warn him against Project Titan, so it would likely make little difference in the grand scheme of things. Again a long term investment, but the addition of Force sensitive children bearing even a fraction of Jades power would be an excellent addition to his resources.

Drawing the Sith Glyph of concealment on the datapads screen, he shut it down and set it to one side. Turning to watch the city move past his window, he pondered what else could have caused such a reaction earlier.

A beep from his desk drew his attention, glancing at it he saw the name of his agent he had sent to Zygerria, perhaps this was good news.

* * *

Elia stood within a column of light within a shadowy chamber. Above her on podiums stood most of the Jedi Council. She glanced at Master Yoda in concern; he sat in a chair, still drained from his ordeal. Master Windu looked tired but focused upon her, his glare would have terrified her before a few days ago, but now. Now she could see the fear behind the mask.

Her thoughts were brought to an end as Master Windu began to speak. "Knight Elia Tanna. This council has listened and reviewed evidence and statements regarding this case. We have come to a final decision as to your judgement. First, you shall be under house arrest within this temple, you may never leave these grounds unless agreed to or ordered by a majority of the Jedi Council. Second, you shall take no Padawan of your own, again unless the Council agrees or orders you otherwise. Thirdly, you will be under observation and guard by a Jedi chosen by ourselves, any actions they deem to be against the order will result in your immediate arrest and detainment for further consideration. Do you understand this judgement?"

She stared at each of them in the eyes, "I know I did the right thing, something you all believed should not have been done. I stand by my decision but will accept the judgement of this council."

Master Kolar called out, "See, she is unrepentant, obviously a danger to this temple, we should..."

"Enough." Master Yoda spoke with a cold sharpness. "Heard you we have Master Kolar, many times spoken have you."

Windu continued, "You shall now be escorted to your quarters where your guard will be waiting for you."

* * *

Harry looked over the skyline as the ship rose through the atmosphere into orbit. It looked so peaceful from here. You couldn't see the rot hidden beneath the surface, festering away.

The small boy in the seat in front looked through the gap between the seats again. Harry smiled at him and winked before he pulled the datapad Set had given him from his robes, opening it he began to read. This was a long journey and he was going to need the time to gather his thoughts after reading the pad.

He took a deep breath and opened the first file. He was going to regret this, he knew it.

* * *

 **AN:**

Sorry this took so long to get out for you guys to read. Some of these fights were difficult to get right, on top of that my new job is rather exhausting and leaves little time or energy to write much. Hopefully Chapter 21 won't take so long to get out.

* * *

 **Reviews:**

Bearmauls: She is sort of filling that role for the Children. I started writing this and thought what would happen if everyone took a shot at Harry when they had a chance? The fight was awkward, I was unsure as to go on a run through memories as Voldemort tries to twist and corrupt them or a straight fight.

Beloved Daughter: Thank you. If I was his enemy, I'd take a shot at it, unfortunately, Harry has a lot of enemies and a few groups of friends who don't talk to each other much.

Ranmaleopard: Thank you.

Bluesnowman: Thank you.

AnimeA55Kicker: I hope you enjoyed it.

Hawkmoon888: Thank you. Chaos was part of the plan, unfortunately he thought he had everything set up. He didn't think the Jedi would change the game. Plus things always spiral out of control around him. He does seem to gather followers like that doesn't he :) As for Elia, she's just broken a self-inflicted barrier within her training, not that she will realise it just yet.

Lynxreader: Thank you, a while yet to go though. As for Mara, close, but not quite there.

Shadowsmage: Thank you.

Yami-Guy: Cloning isn't the issue on the samples. Would you want more Harry's running around? Ones enough thank you. Thank you for that, I just had the image in my head and ran with it. Had to research a few chess games to find the right one.

Penny is Wise: Sorry it took so long to be released.

Link01742: Thank you. Not a bad guess as you could see.

Alucard-Masters: Thank you. Similar yes. Not sure if it's the same game without watching the film in question.

BioHazard82: Thank you.

Davycrockett100: Thank you.

Em13ee: You're welcome.

Ataxius: Clone isn't the plan. You'll see socan seeon.

Talon Blu: As you can see, it got messy.

Mr Bumpity (Guest): I'm glad for all the support I've received, and I hope you recover from your own month as well. The Anakin-Harry fight is one of the finales to the star wars sections and I hope I do it justice.

Mangahero18: Thank you.

DGfleetfox: You're welcome, I hope you enjoy it to its end.

CainBlack: There are many of your answers above, more will come later. I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Grayiron: Thank you. That fight was rather hard to get right, still not 100% happy with it, but I imagine all writers feel like that. There are no other cross-overs in this story, unless they are unintentional ones that I didn't notice.

Lord of Carrion: As you can see, you were very close in most aspects. The Jedi are teetering on the edge, not much more to make them fall. Thank you.

Guest: Thank you.

Starboy454: Thank you.

Camath: Thank you.

Orion0905: Thank you. I had to cut a chunk out and include it in this chapter, simply because of the word count getting crazy. Hopefully you enjoyed the second half.

Michaelkoc1: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Abaddon is basically a second version of Harry with a few extras here and there, so less new knowledge, more a new perspective of the knowledge. Voldemort escaped from being absorbed, but fragments of him bled into Harry. You may have noticed a few extras he is already showing in this chapter.

Neon1311: Thank you. For Elia it was a choice between the easy path and the right path, to her it wasn't a choice. The council, they chose the easy path. They are a sort of religion who have permissions and rights to act under certain guidelines. This has been expanded to include leading the armies of the Republic. They have had millennia of people not questioning what they do. They believe themselves to be guides and protectors, after all, they know better than the normal citizens. After so long with no-one telling them they are wrong, they believe they are in the right. a very dangerous position to be in when someone strong enough to make them listen forces the issue.

Ksecc1: It's difficult but I'm getting there. It just means that chapters will take a while to get done compared to releasing from the stockpile I had prepared. They have been raised to think in a certain way as Elia shows, the Council however were mostly unaware of the option and tried to lock him away in fear of risking their lives. Hopefully you enjoyed how things have occurred in this chapter.

Ahsanrox: I understand the issue, but I do need antagonists for later on should I carry on the star wars section of the story after Harry's return to Earth. Oh and conspiracies, got to love those.

Indecisive Bob: Thank you. And he didn't even plan for half of it, as usual for him. Sidious doesn't know about the magic, he just believes that Harry has immense potential in the force and that would hopefully pass on to his children. The Witches are nearly all force sensitive, so they would increase the chance of his plan working. As for what he has in the works. Inquisitorius sound familiar?

Greenchild24: I am very pleased to hear such a compliment, I hope to keep you entertained.

Alonger: You're close to what is planned, but not quite there. This story is about Harry's journey. I'm very tempted to carry on the Star Wars events as a spin-off, but that would probably be done much slower than currently as I would be writing effectively two stories at the same time. I also have plans for at least another three stories I'm sketching out as mentioned on my profile. As for the hybrid issue, alchemy would indeed allow such an event to occur, but Xora doesn't know that and it hasn't popped into Harry's mind as viable. Plus there are enough instances of hybrids occurring without alchemy in the potter universe to not be needed. Hagrid and Flitwick for starters.

Pyro69j: Thank you. We are closer, over the half way mark definitely, more in the last third of the star wars period. We have one and a half ish series to go plus a film. The return is going to cause a lot of issues for a few individuals. Snape definitely being one of them :) No promises on the lightsaber though, I haven't quite decided on what happens to him yet.

Regfurby: Liked it? Loved it :) As you can tell above this got well out of hand. The Horcrux was more entrenched than realised and knew Harry better. The fight was also completely in his head with Harry thinking he knew what he was doing compared to an expert in the field. A real fight between them would be more even. As you can see Elia has chosen her own path once again. But fear not, its not the end of her story. As for Dooku, I hope you enjoyed what happened in this chapter.

Teon: I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, hopefully this one will continue the trend.

Swiftrabbit: thank you. I hope you enjoy it further.

ECTO-DMC: I am pleased to hear that you are enjoying my story. Fear not, I promised I would finish this story, so I shall unless something untoward happens to me, touch wood. I don't hate Ron, but I really don't like him. Yes the stories were written for children and JK had her plans which she wouldn't change, but looking at it as an adult, there's a lot of dodgy stuff happening in the background.

Minaly22: Thank you, I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Pric3y: I couldn't help myself when it came to that comment :) I hope you enjoyed what followed.

Demon Ivr: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed them. Its hard to get yoda right, I write it as if he didn't speak with his speech habits and then try and re-write it. I'm just glad he's not a main character. I'll have to have a look for that site. It might save me some headaches.

Zeru'Xil: Thank you :) I hope you keep enjoying it to the end.

Murgel: Thank you. I hope you keep enjoying the story.

Grovepjp: Thank you.

Guest: Sorry for the delay, but I am writing as fast as life, work and inspiration allow me.

Cyborg0: Thank you.

Tpowe15: Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter.

Warsage: Here you go.


	21. Forging the Future

**Chapter 21 - Forging the Future**

 **AN:**

 **Hi everyone, first of all, a quick note to all who might be interested, I am looking for at least one Beta to help clean the story up. If anyone is interested, please PM me and we'll have a chat.**

 **Secondly I apologise for the time taken between chapters, but since I finished the last chapter, I have maybe two hours to myself a day if that. Life is very busy and stressful for me at the moment. So please be aware that I will update when I can.**

 **Thanks everyone and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Xora frowned at the image of Harry, "So what do we do now?"

Harry shrugged, "I'm not sure. I've had a chance to think about things and in its most basic form, there are three core results. If I reveal the truth of Order 66, then the Jedi turns on its army and the CIS wins, Dooku leads the galaxy and his Master Sidious rules through him. If a command code is given all the droid forces without my upgrade will shut down, the clone troopers defeat the core of the CIS and then focuses their entire attention on us, the republic wins, Dooku is captured or dies and Sidious wins. Then there's when the Jedi go after Sidious, Sidious gives the Order, the Jedi die. Either side can conquer the other and Sidious wins. Hell, if he just thinks someone is going to go for him, he might just send the order and use the chaos to escape or claim his attacker is a Jedi ally."

Xora tapped her chin, "Well planned, thorough and covering all eventualities, except for the Harry factor."

He smiled at her, "Go on."

"His plans never included you, he has to adapt them on the fly. Decades of preparation disrupted and in some cases no longer valid. When you built the new programming for the droids, did you tell anyone about removing the control code?"

"Dooku knows, I don't know if he told Sidious."

"Presuming he knows, then that plan is no longer fully valid. He can't just win with the sending of a message. He would require Dooku or yourself to give the command to surrender. I have a few ideas, let me work on those and I'll update you later on that front. As for the Jedi being told, the moment they find out, we force Sidious' hand, he will just trigger the clones to remove the threat, plant false evidence afterwards to cover himself. We can't tell the Council or the Jedi in general, but we could try to warn a few and let them decide what to do. It's unlikely they will believe us, but some might listen. I'll be damned if I let Sidious win without a fight, I'll dig around; see what we can disrupt to throw things into disarray. It will at least buy us time."

"I agree, have fun and keep safe."

She smiled at him, "I always do. What about the senator?"

"Have you given her the offer?"

"I did, she seems tempted but confused."

"Show her some trust, give her access to Pantora's records to look through. All of them, even their black ops and secret records. Hide nothing; let her search for whatever we're hiding. She'll soon see we're telling the truth and that her world's hands are not as clean as she imagines. Give her comms access to her family, monitor it, but let her say what she will."

Xora smirked and nodded, "Should be interesting, a chance to see how smart and paranoid she is." She calmed and sighed at the image. "You're going to speak to him aren't you?"

"Yes. I need answers, especially now."

"Just... be careful, I'll have a shuttle sent to wait for you in your usual docking bay for when you need to leave."

"Xora. Thank you." With a smile and a nod he disconnected.

Xora rested her forehead against the panel beside her, sighing in frustration. "Why do I let you do this to me?" Quickly putting in the orders, she began to prepare for when he came home after the confrontation that was about to happen.

* * *

The Sergeant shut the door and triggered the security system.

His brothers sat around, members from a dozen armies. Each shared small jokes and stories, passing on information and tactics, many sharing their pain at their brother's deaths.

The Captain stepped onto the raised platform. "Brothers, we are here to plan for our vengeance. We have watched and listened, fought and bled, suffered and died. The Alor'be'haran has played with the Jedi, used them. And we have suffered for it. No more."

At the muted cheering he nodded and continued. "Today, we will return to our brothers and we will spread the message. We will make sure all of our kin know of his secrets, how he fights, how he bleeds. We will spread and do our utmost to destroy him, to scour the galaxy clean of his taint. We will do whatever is necessary, we will sacrifice our lives to merely give our brothers the chance to kill the Alor'be'haran. Every drop of blood offered by us and taken from the Alor'be'haran is a sacrifice to our brothers memories."

He raised his fist holding a collection of dog tags within his gauntlet. "For the Fallen!"

The roar of anger and approval echoed within the room as the Captain smiled at his brothers and began to explain the plan in more detail.

* * *

Dooku lay in his bed, his body still aching after the surgery to repair the damage. His leg still tingled and his eye itched, minor phantom pains that would pass as he got used to the replacements. Sixty odd years in combat, not a single major injury that would require cybernetics. One fight and now he had broken that record. Even worse was that he had done it to himself. He sighed in annoyance before freezing as a presence suddenly appeared beside his bed with a soft pop of air.

"You know, this is the closest to sulking I've ever seen you."

Dooku chuckled slightly, "Self-pity is not something I like to partake in, but I imagine you can guess why I am so frustrated."

Harry conjured a chair and sat in it. "I would love to just chat and reminisce about the past and your injuries, but we both know that's not why I'm here."

"Indeed, I must clarify however, is this a social call or business?"

"Social for now. I must admit my curiosity as to wondering what drove you to do what you have."

"How much do you know?"

"Not everything but Set was very thorough in his records and tried calling it something else, but I call it snooping into your personal files."

"Ah."

"Yes. Ah. I knew you had a Master, but to imagine that he had such a hold over you. It was rather disappointing to learn that."

"I imagine it was. So, what do we do now?"

"We talk. I need to know why you turned on me and then tried to rescue me. I'll never be able to trust you like I did before I discovered the truth, but we might be able to rebuild something between us. Better to have a working relationship than me destroying everything you stand for isn't it?"

Dooku sighed. "Indeed. Know that I tried my best to protect you, twisting orders, sending inept minions, omitting facts in my reports. I even implied that Ventress was my apprentice and that you were a mere tool in my service. But He knows. He knows exactly what you mean to me. I swear on the family name that I went to Coruscant to rescue you, I brought a squad of commando droids to aid me, but I don't know what happened to them."

"Temple Guardians destroyed them."

"Unfortunate. But an acceptable loss if they were of use in your escape."

"Not really, but I may be unaware of their assistance in some fashion. So, you came personally to rescue me, after offering a prisoner exchange to the Senate."

"Indeed, I needed them doubting the Jedi's actions to please my Master and to distract the council to give me an edge in my mission. I have made the offer and will follow through on it, I may even give them the Jedi as a little stab at their reputation. That I can keep my word, but they can't. Although I did get asked whether Senator Riyo Chuchi was one of my prisoners, you wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

"I acquired her during the investigation into Mina's death."

Dooku winced, "Ah, yes."

"Indeed. I had hoped, almost prayed that you weren't involved. I had ignored any sign of such until Set provided me a number of records to review. Not complete or with a full accounting of all the facts, but enough. I am still incredibly angry and upset about that by the way. I almost destroyed the transport I was in when I learnt that you had ordered her death."

"One of my many regrets, at least it was quick and painless, I made sure of that, she did not need to suffer."

"I take it that she was a target of your Master rather than a personal one then?"

"Indeed, I don't know why she was chosen, but I managed to ensure only she was targeted, her son is alive because of your friendship with them. Should he begin disrupting things however, then my orders are very clear on the matter." He raised an eyebrow at the surge of anger in the churning presence in the force beside him. "I can feel your power and control holding your anger in check, it is impressive, and you have grown much since we last had a chance to talk in person."

"More than you can imagine, but even my control has limits. Do not test them."

"No, I imagine that would end poorly for me. The Apprentice has surpassed the Master." He sighed for a moment before continuing. "I am sorry, for what little it matters, I rather liked Mina, she was a good influence as well as a good friend for you."

Harry rubbed his eyes with one hand and sighed as if an immense weight rested upon his shoulders. "I want to destroy you so much right now. But it will not change the past. So why come to rescue me?"

Dooku frowned, "Why wouldn't I? I take it you are unaware of my requests to Yoda?"

"I arrived too late to hear that."

"Very well, I asked him to return my son to me, he refused, we fought, I won."

"Your... Son? After everything you have done to me, you call me your son!?"

Dooku winced in pain as he sat up, making sure he made eye contact with Harry. "What else are you to me? You may not be my son in blood, but you are in spirit. I brought you into my home, restored your flesh, assigned the best tutors wealth and influence could acquire and personally trained you. Then I gave you an important role and position in the CIS. I trusted you to do what you needed to do in such a role. I watch your endeavours and victories with pride, I will admit confusion and frustration at times, but I am still proud of what you have achieved. As my apprentice you have surpassed me in your fields of study, I have little if anything of value to teach you now, as I have already told you, you have moved beyond apprenticeship." He cut off any response with a harsh hand gesture. "No, you are my son and heir, and I will not deny it. I would happily shout it for the entire galaxy to hear. You are destined for greatness Harry, and I have done what I can to prepare you for that. Even if you cut me down, I will be proud of the strong man before me. As would your friends and family."

Taking a deep breath, Harry centred himself once more, his rage and pain coiled within his gut ready to be unleashed. "So, will you stand up against your Master or will you remain kneeling?"

Dooku sighed, the weight of his slavery once more a burden upon his shoulders, Harry winced internally as the powerful man seemed to age before him. "I shall kneel. As long as I do so, you have some protection from Him. Darth Sidious is powerful and connected, vigilant and well prepared. He has plans that are decades in the making and almost at fruition. I suspect that he already has a replacement in mind for me, but that plan is not ready yet, otherwise we would not be having this conversation. Every day he focuses his power and dominance over me is another day for you to grow stronger and be able to withstand him."

Harry sat back and pondered the information he had. Male, decades of work, powerful and connected, subtle enough to avoid the Jedi's vision but powerful enough to bind Dooku to his service. He knew about Mina's contact with Amidala, the goal of peace which would disrupt his plans. Not from the CIS side, but the republic side. Amidala must trust him to give him the information. Abaddon's gift during the merging allowed him a clear unbiased view of events he had witnessed. Only five individuals came to mind immediately.

Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jar-Jar Binks, Senator Bail Organa and Chancellor Palpatine.

Binks appeared to be a bumbling fool and lacked the public support required to lead the republic, he might be a war hero, but there were better options to lead over him. Crabbe or Goyle would make better leaders than him. Harry didn't know how old the gungan actually was, nor their average lifespan to really judge his capacity to be involved. He was also too lucky, too competent when he stumbled into events, it is almost as if he planned everything and pretended to be a fool to throw off suspicion. Or it could just be my paranoia, he might just have the same sort of luck I have. The Jedi were both too young for the role, Kenobi maybe, but the clone army had taken years to produce in time for the start of the war. Organa was popular, a voice for moderation, honour and noble causes. He put himself at risks and was a skilled orator. Palpatine was Amidala's mentor and advisor whilst she was queen of Naboo. Connected, skilled, influential and respected. His position as Chancellor would allow him to enact Order 66 directly and to control everything once the war was over.

But was he the puppet or puppet master. He cleared his mind and sank into his occlumency techniques; Abaddon focused his attentions upon specific memories, recordings of the senate when Amidala began her proposal for peace. Organa had been surprised whilst Palpatine had not been. Palpatine knew what was coming.

Finally he opened his eyes and focused on Dooku. "Darth Sidious, it's Palpatine isn't it?"

Dooku sighed in resignation, "Indeed. Keep as far as you can from him. He is more powerful than you could imagine, you would stand no chance in combat with him. He has already won, the Republic just does not realise it yet. And the Jedi, they are blind to the danger advising them with poisoned words." He took a deep breath and readied himself. "So, now that we have discussed everything important. What are you going to do?"

"Now... Now I am going to do the most vicious revenge I can think of for you. I am going to be merciful, I forgive you. For all your betrayals, for all your lies. I forgive you, but I will never forget. I will never trust you again. I will look at your advice as if it were tainted. You get to live knowing that your choices destroyed my faith and trust in you. You chose your master over your self-declared family, you get to live and deal with the repercussions of your actions. No easy way out through your death, no suicide, no glorious last stands, you will do your best to live for as long as you can. Live with the pain you caused. Do you understand?"

Dooku looked into the now cold eyes of Harry, "Yes, I understand."

Harry nodded, "Good, now rest and heal. You will be a busy man trying to fix everything in the next few days." He looked back and Dooku saw the pain and burning rage in Harry's eyes. "Goodbye… Father." With a final nod and a crack of air, Harry was gone.

Dooku whispered to the now empty space, "Goodbye. My Son."

* * *

Elia Tanna calmly followed the Temple Guardian into her new chambers in the guest section, luckily the corridors were empty at this time of day so she didn't have to worry about others staring at her.

The halls had been cleaned up from all the chaos that had not long ago occurred, but here and there were little reminders, scorch marks and blood spatters on walls. The living areas had avoided most of the trouble, but not all.

The Guardian opened the door to the rooms and watched as she entered, she felt him leaving and looked over the room.

It was spartan but larger than she had expected, two doors were likely to lead to bedrooms whilst a third led to the bathroom. A sliding glass door led outside to a balcony which held a sand garden.

At the heart of the garden sat a swirling sphere of sand, within was a focused but calm presence in the force.

Curious about her jailor, she stepped into the garden, the moment her foot touched the sand, the sphere stopped moving and split apart into tendrils. The figure at the centre was a human male in basic Jedi robes, he motioned her to join him. As she moved to sit before him, she saw that he was neither handsome nor ugly, brown hair, his eyes were closed. Thin scars spread across his right side of his face and he was missing his right arm at the shoulder although the sleeve wasn't pinned up.

Settling onto the sand opposite him, she watched as the tendrils returned to the sphere and began rotating once more, it was pitch black inside, no light from outside making it in past the swirling mass of sand.

The noise was relaxing, like waves washing over each other.

His voice broke the quiet as her mind drifted slightly.

"My name is Aran Kato, Knight of the Jedi Order. I have been assigned to you as a polite form of jailor, just as you are my own." She frowned in confusion as he chuckled. "Sorry, I have been told my jokes are rather bad, but rather accurate in this instance. I have been given a basic overview of your situation, it is only fair that I give you my own and allow you to expand on the details I have been given should you wish. I will offer you the same."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "The sand will protect our words from outside observation, so fear not on that matter. You have been quietly punished for following your oaths to heal. Your patient was a suspected Sith who upon recovery proceeded to escape most likely due to the fact that the suspicion was accurate. At the same time at least one other faction attempted to either rescue or kill your patient. You were rendered unconscious during those events. Strangely the Sith did not kill or kidnap you and you were found unhurt with your lightsaber. Strange actions for a Sith to take unless you were an accomplice, however an accomplice would have either escaped as well or would have been wounded enough for a cover. How am I going so far?"

"Pretty well, he was actually being possessed by a Sith spirit which I freed him from. The man who escaped was a force user and not a Sith. I don't know his loyalties but I could not stand by and do nothing whilst he was sent to a prison for another's actions."

"That's good enough for me. Your room is the one on the right, mine is the left. I have been relieved of other duties for the foreseeable future in order to observe you and to protect others from any danger you may cause."

"Very well, you know about me, but what about you. What's your story?"

The man grunted in amusement, "Fair enough, my story." He sighed for a moment before continuing. "I was a barely adequate Padawan to Orsin Kato, a skilled healer who was rather vocal about his belief that we should not be leading armies in the war. Before you ask, I took his name for my own to honour his memory. I had little ability with the force, but my master still chose me over others more powerful than I, more skilled. I don't know why but I shall be forever grateful for his choice. My Masters' viewpoint was that we should perform humanitarian missions only, to protect the innocent and to try to negotiate peace, to stand between armies and not lead them. During a mission on a backwater world called Arbra, we were assigned to guard the medical supplies as they were being quietly delivered to the front lines."

"I heard about that, the Arbra Massacre. I thought there were no survivors."

Aran grunted at that, "In a way, there weren't. Who I was died there, and in a weird way I was reborn in the aftermath. The convoy was bombarded by artillery during an ambush, our vehicle was hit. I was pulled from the wreckage and almost died of blood loss there and then. My right arm was shredded and torn, the bone shattered. I had been bored and was playing with my lightsaber when the blast hit, fragments of metal and crystal were embedded in my ruined flesh. My master cut the limb at the shoulder, his lightsaber cauterising the wound. I was soon high on pain killers, barely conscious and able to focus on what was happening around me. The Trooper's field medic was doing everything he could to keep me alive for an evac that was blocked by heavy anti-aircraft fire. Then the droids came. Marching in unison, their ranks sharp and precise, their Roger Rogers echoing around the pass, a wall of blaster fire tearing into the clones. I remember my master sadly smiling at me as he built a barricade of rock around me to protect me, before he moved into the fight, deflecting blaster fire and cutting droids down. I watched as his own arm was torn away and his body jerking as the blaster bolts tore into him. I remember screaming in anger and rage and pain. The next thing I know is that I awoke, manacled to a bed as medics were carefully examining me. Three months after the ambush."

"Do you know what happened?"

"Apparently the Jedi Council had worried that they had heard nothing from us in a while. They sent someone to investigate. When she arrived, she investigated the situation and the natives informed her of the Massacre and that it had awoken a vengeful spirit they called the Reaper. They told her stories of how the Reaper hunted any metal men it could find, appearing from the forest shadows and disappearing into the mists when it was done. The Reaper had destroyed three bases and all the droids based in them. Wreckage of ships scattered around the ruins. She heard that the CIS commander had retreated and barricaded himself in his command base, the last CIS location left. Every droid that remained was there. The locals told her that it would be a misty night and if she wished to see the Reaper, then she had best hurry."

"What did she find?"

"I don't know exactly what she found as the report has been sealed by the council, and no-one is saying anything about it. I know she returned to her ship carrying me and the base had been destroyed. Since then, I've remained in the temple, no missions other than to assist around the place and to help out in the library. They promoted me to Knight to keep people from prying too deeply, but that was it. No padawan of my own, no further lessons, I am watched and nearly every master I have come across frowns slightly at the sight of me, like they're not sure what to make of me or whether to trust me. After a year of nothing, they assigned me to watch you."

"I noticed that you are still missing your arm, did you not want a replacement?"

"Ah, that. No, unfortunately I have rather violent nightmares, the arms don't survive, however I have no need of such things, the Force is my Ally. Come I will show you as we go and get something to eat."

As he stood up the sand flowed back to the carefully sculpted garden and fragments of metal drifted from the sphere as it collapsed, they swiftly gathered at his shoulder and quickly formed an arm. Carefully he flexed it and she watched in awe as the metal moved like muscle and bone with his thoughts. He reached out with it and pulled her to her feet with a slightly knowing smirk, his pale grey eyes twinkling in amusement. "To think, the masters once pondered sending me to the Agri corps rather than to become a Padawan."

* * *

The small shuttle docked and Harry walked down the ramp, the moment the bulkhead sealed behind him and they had privacy Xora grabbed him and held him as he broke down and cried into her shoulder. After a short while they separated and he cleaned the tears from his face.

"Better?"

He nodded and smiled at her, "Thank you. I didn't think it would hurt me so much to do that."

"Is he alive?"

"Yes, I know he's dangerous but I couldn't do it. Although, it might have been a mercy to do so in the long run. His Master is not going to be pleased with what we do next."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"No, but I'll manage. Work will let me focus. What's the plan?"

"We have a meeting this evening with the Sluissi priests, before that we need to talk to Senator Chuchi, get her on board. Then at some point we need to speak with your supporters to find out what happens now."

"We'll discuss matters over a meal with Senator Chuchi, then meet the Sluissi. Tell me about her."

* * *

Sidious was glad his hood masked his features as he pondered the words he had just heard. "What did you just say?"

The agent knelt before his image and shook in fear of his Masters anger. "My Lord, the samples were flawed, They must have been contaminated somehow, we barely managed to recover a quarter of the samples."

"And what exactly happened?"

"We are unsure, a strange acid-like substance is involved, it melted through a number of sample containers and destroyed what was within. We managed to salvage a few if them, but we are unsure if they have been damaged or not by the incident. We're looking into it further but I believe that we can, with care and a little more time, begin the project. It won't be at the original predicted number, but if the samples are viable, we may be able to produce a few, maybe a dozen with the right support."

Sidious looked to one side and skimmed the agents record before nodding, a quick hand gesture and the man began chocking until his head suddenly moved ninety degrees to rest against his shoulder.

"Agent Kovin, step forward."

The image showed two others carrying the body away as another agent moved to kneel before his master.

"Congratulations on your promotion, salvage as much of this debacle as you can and ensure the remaining samples security. You will have the requested support and more. Deliver them to Project Titan and acquire anything the good Doctor Boll requires."

"As you wish my Lord."

Cutting the link, Sidious rubbed his forehead, What was it with Evan Jade, why did nothing go to plan. It was almost as if the Force was protecting him. Sidious scoffed at such an idea before opening a new comm channel.

"My Lord, how may we serve you."

"Dr Nuvo Vindi is in a republic prison on Coruscant. He is held in maximum security in isolation. Acquire him and transfer him to Theta Site."

"Yes my Lord."

Sidious cut the link and triggered another.

A few minutes later the network connected, Dooku knelt before his master's image, curiosity in his voice at the sudden summons. "What is your bidding my Master?"

"Jenna Zan Arbor, I require her services, transfer her to Theta site alongside her staff."

Dooku glanced up with a raised eyebrow, "As you wish Master."

"One final matter Dooku, your failures annoy me, there will be no more. Is that understood?"

Dooku looked at the floor, "Yes Master."

Sidious abruptly cut the link. Moving to his chair he re-evaluated his plans. Things will need to be accelerated. Reaching over to his public comms he sent a message.

"Chancellor?"

"Ah, Anakin. It has been too long since we last talked, perhaps we could meet and catch up?"

"I'm sorry that would…" Anakins image frowned as he glanced to one side, before smiling as he looked back at Palpatine. "Actually, you know what, that would be excellent, when and where?"

Sidious hummed for a moment, "Have you eaten yet? I have heard of a marvellous restaurant that has just opened."

* * *

Harry stood in his uniform ready for dinner examining the wand in his hands.

If there was a distinct sign he had changed, this was it.

Where once merely holding the wand would have felt warm and comforting, almost like he imagined coming home to his parents would feel like. Now, it felt dull, muted. His power flowed through the wand sluggishly and with resistance.

This must have been what Neville felt all those years, no wonder he lacked confidence if he thought that was normal. He must have been a powerhouse if he had managed so well forcing his magic through something that matched him so badly.

Placing the wand down he sighed in disappointment, it felt almost like losing a hand, the memory of the sensations there but muted and dull.

His lightsaber jumped into his hand with a thought and with a twist of his wrist came apart above his open palm. Pulling the heart of the blade from its casing he reached out with his magic and felt a connection similar to how his wand used to feel.

Restoring the saber and placing it to one side he held the crystal within a clenched hand and whispered "Lumos."

The brilliance amazed him, he could see his bones through his flesh as the light flared brightly within his grasp. A whispered "Nox" ended the experiment and he placed the crystal on the table.

It appeared that Abaddon's theory held water, he pondered over his collection of samples of wood and smiled, he had just the thing. But it would have to wait until after dinner.

It was time to produce a suitable droid to make the wands as well. Dooku had once mentioned a droid that specialised in such a field that the Jedi used for lightsabers, perhaps a little research along those lines would be of use.

* * *

Mallie Marek sat at the window of their hut watching as her new husband prepped the speeder to deliver her message to their contact in the city. A message which would soon be sent to her old master. She stroked her pregnant belly and her son within.

The Shaman knelt beside her and nodded sagely, "He will be strong, powerful, a great warrior."

"I know old friend, I have seen fragments of his future and I weep for him."

"You are strong, your mate is strong. Your son will be as strong as both of you. Why do you fear so much?"

She turned to look at him, one eye a milky white, blind but still capable of seeing the truth. "You will understand. When the long night comes and fire falls from the skies, Death will stride across the forest and the years of nightmare shall begin. Promise me. Take my son and hide him, take him far from here and keep him safe. Tell him about his parents and how much they love him."

The shaman placed his hand upon her shoulder to offer support, "You will tell him yourself."

She sadly smiled at her friend. "No. I won't."

* * *

Standing to greet his guest, Harry smiled as she entered the room. "Senator, a pleasure to finally meet you. Xora has told me much of you." He quickly guided her to a seat and pushed her chair in before repeating the action for Xora.

She smiled politely but nervously at him, her gold eyes however searched him for clues and signals, always aware. "Only the good I hope."

Xora chuckled at that, "I tell Evan everything."

Harry smiled at her, "Indeed you do. I prefer that my advisors are close and trusted. I want to know everything, even when they think I am wrong. Especially then. I am not some god or perfect being. I am human and mortal, I make mistakes, some of them bigger than others admittedly."

"And what do you do when you are wrong?" Chuchi's eyebrow was raised in interest.

"First of all I admit it, then I see how I can fix it and if possible put things right, if not then I try to repair the damage as best I can. If an enemy makes a mistake then I will use it ruthlessly. I wish you to understand something, I have no interest in this war, I don't want to lead an army, however it just seems to happen to me, all I want is to find a way home."

Chuchi caught a flicker of pain from Xora at that comment. "And what will happen if the war ends and you get what you want?"

He wistfully smiled at her and appeared to be seeing someone else in the room. "Then I make sure I leave something strong and secure behind to protect the people important to me as I go home." His eyes focused on her and they seemed to glow slightly with his intense focus upon her. It was both thrilling and terrifying, like looking into the heart of a star and knowing it would swallow you whole and not caring one iota about that.

She blinked to break the effect and quickly sipped at her wine to give her a moment to think. "Xora has made me an offer, what are your thoughts on it."

He smiled and opened his mouth to respond when one of his combat droids pushed a trolley into the room and began to serve the food.

"Hello Father, as you have returned I have produced a few of your favourites. I hope you like them."

Chuchi barely maintained her composure at hearing what the droid had called Jade.

"I'm sure that it will be wonderful as always Heka, I'm glad you found something to enjoy."

"I do indeed enjoy exploring this field. Organic reactions to my combinations are incredibly varied. It is most entertaining watching them enjoy my work. I hope you enjoy your meal." Heka passed out plates of food and placed a strange tart in the centre of the table for pudding before leaving with the trolley.

Harry smiled, "He really knows how to spoil me, Treacle tart, and it smells right."

Chuchi focused on Jade, "Why did… Heka call you Father?"

Harry smiled at her, "Because I am his father. I designed and built their shells, I designed and built their programming and rewrote sections to allow true growth of personality and thought. Each is unique and their own person, developing along pathways of their own interest. Heka enjoys cooking, Hedwig explores music and poetry. Anhur enjoys art, he's terrible at it but it's something he's happy exploring. Set is broody but will do anything to protect his family. Montu is currently studying zoology as well as trying to learn how to meditate, I'm not sure how that would work, but I hope he manages to learn something from the attempt. Each has their own paths to follow and as their father I do my best to support and guide them to become whatever they desire. I'm proud of them all."

"Interesting, but you didn't answer my question before Heka arrived."

"Well noted, I trust Xora, her judgement is sound and I have reviewed your files. Most impressive. I think you can do what we need and I think we will be able to work together without any problems."

"Okay, so you still want me to be your civilian advisor."

"Indeed I do, originally I had planned on offering the post to Senator Bonteri and after her death I considered Senator Amidala, however she is too closely tied to the Jedi and my Children returned with you. Xora saw the opportunity and thus, our offer to you."

"Too closely tied to the Jedi, why would that be a problem?"

"The Jedi and I are not on the best of terms, our history is... complicated. I may have also upset quite a few of them recently, never mind the fact that I don't think I can trust their motives or honesty. But that's a discussion for another night."

"What exactly will I have to do in my role?"

"It's both simple and complex, my advisors have little experience with the civilian side of things, you will fill that gap and ensure the civilians are healthy and safe with shelter, food, water and medical supplies whilst the war continues. After the war, who knows. It depends on who wins in the end."

"And do I have to support your plans?"

"Merlin no! I don't want yes men, I want thinkers and those with the will to do things around me. If you think I'm wrong then bring it up in private unless there's no time then bring it up immediately. I'm not going to punish you for doing as I want. You're there to stop mistakes from occurring, to have ideas, to improve my own. To hold me back from losing my way. I want you to be you. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Then." She took a deep breath, "I will consider it."

Xora smiled at her as Harry chuckled, "Wonderful, we have a meeting this afternoon, please join us, it should be interesting to say the least."

* * *

Ahsoka sat on the shuttle to Mandalore, meditating upon her experiences on Zygerria.

Padme Amidala sat on the other side of the room watching the young Padawan. She knew something was bothering Ahsoka but was unsure how to find out what. Anakin had dismissed her concerns, chuckling that he had been like that himself at her age and a little older.

Memories of those simpler times made her smile, looking at the sixteen year old meditating with a frown, she wondered if it was perhaps some boy or girl who had caught Ahsoka's attention. Dismissing the issue she returned to her book.

Ahsoka let her mind examine the sensations once again, something within her felt wilder, more primal. But it was protective of her, it was like a Nexu ready to pounce upon its prey, but each time she reached for it, it slipped away, just out of her reach, almost playing with her. It felt like something was missing, some crucial piece of the puzzle.

She stood up and huffed in annoyance catching a glimpse of Padme's knowing smirk before she hid behind her book. Ahsoka shook her head and went to take a shower, humming a lullaby under her breath as she went.

* * *

As the Sluissi Priests genuflected themselves before him, the female lowered the hood of her robes showing her silver scales before bowing. "Greetings General Evan Jade, we have one final test to see if you are indeed the one we seek."

The priests rose and brought forward a small box. The female continued, "Within this reliquary is the answer to a riddle. It was given to us by the moon goddess during the Tale of Union. We have a message to give you and the answer, we wish to hear the riddle."

Harry nodded in confusion, "I think I understand."

The Priests moved forward and opened the reliquary, showing the answer to him. A stasis charm saturated a scrap of burnt paper with two words written upon it. His eyes widened as he snapped his attention to the female.

She smiled at him, "The message is 'You're as sane as I am.' What is the riddle?"

Harry smiled sadly in response, "Who am I?"

At this the female genuflected before him, "Welcome Vasuki, King of All. We have been waiting a long time for your return. I have been sent as your Herald to my people as my ancestors were before me. My duty is to tell you three stories and three stories alone. Following this I am then to spread the Tale of your return. Following that the Sluissi are yours to command in all things."

"And which stories are you to tell me?"

"As the moon goddess sacrificed her mortality to guide you to your Heart, so she was given three moments to interact directly with the world. Once was to teach us and prepare us for this day. The other two moments are unknown to us, they may happen, have happened or are happening right now. The three Tales are The Tale of the Silver Gift, The Tale of Nesting in the Burnt Lands and The Tale of the Chains of Night. I have been allowed by the High Priest to condense these Tales to their bare bones and to directly tell you them rather than sing them. They are Sagas for my people and each would take too long to perform in full. For this I apologise and hope one day to perform the full Saga for you."

He motioned for her to continue.

"These are the fragments of our sacred teachings my King, I would ask that only those you trust with such information remain. I would then beg your forgiveness for telling you the tales in Basic rather than the sacred tongue. There are many subtleties which will be lost in the translation, but we felt this would be preferable to the reaction it may cause in others."

With a wry smirk and glance at Xora, he nodded, "Leave us," he commanded those within the room, motioning to Xora, "stay," turning to Chuchi, "you too. Anhur, remain, you may inform your brothers once we are done here."

Chuchi met Harry's eyes in surprise. He smiled at her, "Trust must begin somewhere."

The Priests moved to guard the entrance and one carefully aided the female in removing her heavy robe.

Her silver scales shone in the light, strange patterns had already been drawn upon her scales, intricate designs that made the eye wander, unable to focus too close on the whole, lost in the maze. She coiled her tail beneath her and rested upon it, her hands raised in supplication for a few moments before lowering to an almost lotus position.

"I have come before Vasuki today to tell him three of his Sacred Tales. Let him learn of his role to play. Thus I complete the Moon Goddesses burden with these words and pray that a small measure of peace finds her wandering light.

I begin with The Tale of the Silver Gift.

As our peoples gathered following the War of Tears, it was decided amongst the Khedive's that we should unite as if born from a single clutch. No more shall we slay our own kind. We would choose a single Khedive from amongst us, wise and strong to lead the People forward into this strange new world.

Hearing this, the Priests of the different Tribes spoke and chose to gather at an ancient stronghold, a sacred place that had weathered millennia of struggles and protected the people of the region.

There the priests chose to share their history and knowledge. Each priest sang the Tales of their Tribe and all others listened and gathered them into their hearts. The walls hummed with such joy for seven years until the Tale of Union had been completed.

Into that Sacred place as the echoes faded, a being of silver light descended amongst us. The Silver Goddess, the one who watches over her children in the night, the Beacon in the Dark, she had listened to our Songs and grew sad for many had been lost to us. Thus she came to tell the Tales known only by the dead. Her words burned away dark thoughts as she sang in a tongue unknown, but all could understand each word as if we had always known it from the egg.

She sang of Vasuki, a being of ancient legend for which every tribe held at least a single story of his time with us, but none held his real name.

From knowledge long lost, she sang one thousand and one Tales of Vasuki's Great Journey.

These tales were bound outside of time, for some had happened and others yet to happen. Some would never happen and others happen again and again.

She told us Vasuki would one day return and have need of his children, we were to watch for the one who was Born of the Golden Egg, with eyes like grass, a crest of black and a mark of burning heavens. He would speak the divine tongue without fault and we would find him within one of his own Tales.

The youngest priest, having completed his time as an initiate during these seven years moved forward and asked for the Goddesses blessing to spread her words so that all may know of them.

She felt within his mind only an honest desire to serve her and with a stroke of her hand, she raised his eyes to meet her own. Do not fear me, for your faith shall armour you. My light shall guide your way as you spread the Tales. She kissed him upon his brow and left her mark upon him for all to see. His scales shimmered and turned as silver as her light and as armour upon his flesh.

She passed him a casket with an answer to a riddle within and whispered secrets and truths within his ear.

And thus the search began."

She bowed her head in solemn praise hissing words under her breath. Raising her right hand she dipped the tips of her claws into a bowl her attendant held beside her and touched her forehead and then her lips with the fluid.

Taking a deep breath, she looked Harry in the eyes, "Are you ready to hear the words of the second Tale?"

Harry nodded at her and she returned to her lotus position.

"I speak now of the Tale of Nesting in the Burning Lands.

During his search for his Heart, Vasuki's attention was demanded by a thunderous cacophony in the Green Hunting Lands.

He watched as two great beasts rose and fought over the land. One was an old and scarred bull, defending his territory against any intruder. The other was a young and strong bull who sought to dominate, its heart poisoned by greed and lust for power.

Many times the beasts struck each other, each blow shattered the land and scorched the green hunting fields. Villages were scattered to the wind and the wails of the innocent dead lost amidst the beasts' bellows.

Vasuki saw that the old bull was near blind and caused great destruction in its anger. Innocents suffered beneath its shadow for it did not see the villages it crushed beneath its bulk.

The younger bull was vibrant and avoided the villages as best it could, watch them for dangers, but leaving them to themselves.

Vasuki wishing to avoid the deaths of innocents, gathered the villagers and led them to Yushan, a place he had discovered in his travels nearby which could protect the people from the warring beasts.

For many visits of the Moon Goddess, Vasuki watched the pass and the people grew hungry due to the meagre hunting. Each day the noise of the Beasts combat grew closer. Seeing the dangers to the people, Vasuki gathered his spear and armour. He journeyed until he came across the battle as it burned the land around it.

Tired and wounded, both beasts watched the other, wary of making a mistake.

Seeing an opening, Vasuki rushed into battle, he struck at the flank of the ancient beast, deep wounds opening up from his assault. As the younger beast tore a near blind eye from the ancient one, Vasuki tore the other from its skull, blinding it in full. As it roared and staggered from the pain, it lashed out wildly until the younger beast and Vasuki struck together and clove its heart in twain.

The ancient beast fell dead, the land shuddering from its collapse. The younger beast gave a great roar of victory and dove upon the carcass and feeding upon it, ignoring the presence of Vasuki.

Vasuki returned to the people, leading them back to their old villages, healing their wounds and rebuilding their nests. Tired and wounded, he stayed to heal and over time, grew relaxed and built himself a nest. He taught the villagers a few of his secrets and skills of war to defend themselves. He began to raise them higher than they believed possible, making dreams reality.

But the Victorious Beast grew arrogant, striding across the land as the Old bull had done, crushing all beneath its heavy footfalls. Where once it avoided the villages for fear of injury and possible death, now it feared nothing, for the only true threat it saw was dead. Nothing could stop its dominion over the Burnt land.

Seeing this Vasuki grew sad, but sensing the need of the people, he once more gathered his spear and armour.

Moving forward as the Champion of the People, he travelled to the Beasts Lair and roared his challenge to the skies.

The Beast and Vasuki fought, the heavens shuddering with their conflict until finally Vasuki struck the Beast down.

Returning to his nest, he saw the people's faces turn from respect and friendship to Worship and fear.

Saddened by the change he placed his armour and spear within his nest for the next hero to wield and left, wandering across the lands in search once more for his Heart."

Repeating the bowl ritual, she looked upon her audience once more. "With your consent I shall tell the third Tale for Vasuki to witness."

At their nods, she bowed and returned to her position.

"Honoured witnesses, listen now to the third Tale for Vasuki to witness. Let the Moon Goddess be freed of her burden, let her find a measure of peace in her servants actions. I speak now of the Tale of the Chains of Night.

Vasuki having heard the Whispers of Fate and Destiny, battled the servants of the Darkness. Tired and wounded, they coiled around him and brought him to the ground. The Darkness reached out and with its Right Hand carved chains of binding upon Vasuki, binding our great King thrice. Once his Light, once his strength and once his wisdom. But the Darkness knew not that Vasuki was already bound by the Sage of Light in his jealousy. The binding of Wisdom twisted under the strain and changed, chaining his trust as well as his wisdom.

Now torn and bloodied, the Darkness tore a breach in the air and cast his Greatest Foe between worlds, seeking to bring about the Fall of Vasuki.

Either an Age or a heartbeat passed and Vasuki awoke and looked upon foreign lands, banished from his home by the actions of the Darkness.

He wept as he looked upon the heavens for the stars were not his own.

In his rage and pain he cast around searching for any clue to return him to his stolen Heart, but none was found.

Seeing her chosen champion lost and alone, the Moon Goddess came to him in his dreams and spoke soft words to begin his healing.

Vasuki, my champion. Gather your will, gather your courage, gather your strength. The path ahead is long and full of pain and darkness, but at its end you shall find your way back to your Heart. The Darkness fears your strength, so he has bound it. He fears your wisdom, so he has bound it. He fears your light, so he has bound it. And thus he cast you upon these shores, far from home. He desires your death, he desires your fall, he desires you as his champion to lead his armies upon all the lands.

Break these chains and you will find the path to your Heart.

For many days he searched for any clue as to what action to take, but found none until one day a wise warrior came upon his camp as he returned to his nest from campaign.

They spoke of many things and Vasuki found comfort in the elder, he followed him back to his nest and was welcomed amongst the elder's followers.

Over time the elder taught Vasuki many secrets of his people, passing on a blade that burned like the sun, a symbol of his faith in Vasuki.

Vasuki swore a debt of honour to his friend and armed for the strange lands began his search.

Over the years and many Tales, Vasuki found the chains and broke them.

In the Tale of Shattered Masks, he fought the Fallen Friend to break the chain upon his Wisdom and Trust.

In the Tale of the Mirrors Judgement, he fought his Mirror Twin to break the chain upon his Strength.

In the Tale of the Invisible Web, he fought the Hidden Spider to break the chain upon his Light.

And as the last chain shattered under his might, his eyes opened and he saw the Path long hidden from his vision."

Completing the bowl ritual she looked upon her audience. "Before you begin to ask your questions, I must say that I can speak no more on these Tales, I am forbidden to explain them further within your presence for we do not wish to twist truth and fact into our view of the Tale. Their words were prepared centuries ago with the blessings of the High Priests of the age."

* * *

Montu set the alert to bring him to full capacity and checked the seals of the meditation chamber one last time.

There would be nothing to disturb him here.

Kneeling, he carefully lowered his power flow, shutting down non vital systems, disabling his limbs, sensory input faded away until he was barely active. The smallest amount of power trickled through his system, just enough to keep him active. He was little more than a thinking lump of metal, but even that was slowing.

As he reached the critical point, dancing on the edge of active and inactive, that tiny ember of potential that rested within him sparked and began to burn.

In that moment, he felt something.

Examining the sensation, he pondered it and realised he was at peace. This must be what meditating was like, to be free of all burdens, clear of thought and open to the universe.

For the first time he smiled at the experience.

After an age or a moment, a faint silver glow start to form.

Focusing on it, a figure started to become more defined. Reaching out a hand towards it, he smiled at the feeling of peace and joy that came from it. Her smile was like looking into a star. She spoke words that he did not comprehend but felt the breeze of their passing upon his skin and hair. A hand reached out for his his own, warmth touched his finger tips for a moment before he returned to full awareness.

His systems shuddered slightly as he regained control of his form. A sensation of emptiness filled him, that warmth fading until everything was as normal.

A voice from the intercom. "Sir, are you there?"

Shaking his head, he moved to the comms, "I am here Captain. Why did you disturb me?"

"I apologise sir, but the emergency shutdown of the hyperdrive was successful and we are in an unknown system. We have had a large number of reports of collapses amongst the crew. Every Force sensitive on board is in medical. Those that have woken so far have all reported a call from something on a planet in system."

Ignoring the fact that he had been oblivious to events surrounding him, he allowed a curious tone to enter his words. "Show me."

"Yes Sir. I have diverted the screen to your ready room as we speak."

Montu looked at the screen and if he could, he would have smiled at what he saw. "Perfect. Send a message to Xora. Report mission is successful along with our co-ordinates and the navigation information. Then move to orbit the planet. This system is now under quarantine."

"Yes Sir! I shall begin immediately."

Stroking a claw over the screen, he returned to his meditations. Maybe after this success he could go deeper.

* * *

Duchess Satine Kryze smiled at her guests as they arrived. "Padme, it's wonderful to see you. I am glad that you are one of the republics representatives to this. I do so hope you can at least achieve a step towards peace in this."

Ahsoka watched the two diplomats talk as she handed across her lightsabers to the guard. Something was off, the Duchess was nervous about something. She could feel it humming at the edge of her senses.

Satine led them to the speeder, sitting beside her friend. As they travelled, she pressed a button and Ahsoka winced as the privacy field started. "My apologies for that, but I must talk without being overheard. Padme, what is going to happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"Part of these negotiations are for the transfer of prisoners. One of the republics prisoners, or more accurately the Jedi's prisoner, is General Evan Jade. He is to be exchanged for two Jedi Masters. If that is the case, why have I been informed that he is on route as the security for the CIS representatives?"

Ahsoka interjected at that, "What do you mean he was a prisoner of the Jedi?"

"Exactly that, apparently the Jedi captured him and Count Dooku offered two Jedi Masters in exchange for the General. So what exactly is going on?"

Ahsoka shrugged with confusion as Padme blinked in surprise at the information. "I have no idea, but if I had to guess, he escaped from them. What confuses me is that you know more about it than Ahsoka does."

"I'm still just a Padawan, they don't tell me much, but Master Skywalker would have mentioned something about it if he knew."

"Padme, tell me everything that you know is happening. I have no desire for things to escalate here."

* * *

Xora guided Riyo to her position in the hall with a calming smile as the holo's all began to transmit. She then moved over to stand behind and to one side of Harry as he took his own position.

"My friends, it is good to see you all. We have gathered here today to discuss a matter of great importance to all but first, a joyous occasion. I am proud and pleased to welcome Senator Riyo Chuchi to our ranks as the representative for the Pantoran System. We all know her reputation as an honourable and just politician who is a shining light of what the republic should have been like. I feel that her membership amongst our ranks is an omen of a bountiful future."

He waited for the clapping and calls of welcome to quiet, "On to larger business now, we have a chance at this moment to break free of the control of others, we have the chance to stand together and say no, to both the republic and the CIS. I do not mean in a fashion similar to the neutral systems either. No, I mean standing tall and strong as a unified faction, powerful enough to change the face of the galaxy. Powerful enough to hold back the war from our territory, from our homes."

He smiled at the cheers and nodded. "It is indeed excellent news, made more so with the new army training three weeks ahead of schedule. Our reliance upon droid soldiers will come to an end, they will be moved to support roles and watch posts. Without the needs of organics, they can maintain an unbroken vigil upon our borders."

"The new flagship of the fleet is the highest priority of our shipyards and will be completed within the next two weeks at the current rate of construction. A support fleet is already ready and waiting, the best and brightest of our academies are undergoing final preparation and the elite of our veterans are being prepared under great secrecy to crew the flagship. Once completed, retrofitting the rest of our fleets will be completed within six months whilst securing our borders from any threat."

He waited for the cheers to calm before continuing. "As the leaders of the systems affected, I am leaving it in your able hands to decide upon how we move forward, how we identify ourselves. You will also decide upon a leader to stand for you all. Once this has been decided, I shall swear allegiance to our new faction and begin the shift of military forces to protect our borders. Once the war has ended between the Republic and CIS I shall then retire from the military to show our resolve for peace across the galaxy. Now, I shall leave you to debate and decide upon a path for us all to follow. I will be travelling to Mandalore to attend the peace summit, hopefully we can bring a strong end to the war before it escalates further."

Stepping down from the platform to thunderous applause, he left the chamber to return to his work.

Once the door was sealed, Xora stepped forward. "First of all we need to decide upon the shape of our government. We have had several proposals and have brought it down to three final options. A republic, a full democracy and an Empire. We will now have speakers explain why they believe their option is best and how we can move forward with such a change."

* * *

General Grievous stood before the droid army facing the red jungle where his sensors caught glimpses of the Nightsisters moving to defend their home.

"Ventress!" He roared, coughing at the effort. "Peace. I have an offer for you."

He watched as she stepped forward from amongst her sisters, many trying to draw her back into cover. "Speak Grievous, I will listen."

He strode forward to the halfway point between the forces and waited for her to join him.

"I have been sent to slaughter your people, to remove them from the galaxy and harvest the survivors for some mad scheme of Dooku's master."

"As amusing as it would be to watch you try, leave and report your failure."

He chuckled a little before nodding at her. "Such bravado little witch. No, this is but a tenth of my forces in orbit, we have firing solutions on your stronghold as well as this battlefield. They merely await my signal to begin. I am here, however, to make you an offer."

Ventress snarled as she sensed no lies in his words. She nodded, "Go on."

"You will give me ten females, healthy and of breeding age, sacrifices for your survival, call them volunteers if you desire, whatever helps you sleep at night. You will run and hide, disappear for a time and rebuild. I shall order bombardment upon the battleground and destroy the forces on my side, no witnesses to our deal. Obviously the survivors of my attack gathered their dead and escaped whilst I destroyed their stronghold. In return for my mercy I ask but one thing."

Her sarcasm was thick as she responded, "And what merciful thing do you ask?"

"You and your sisters will train and prepare to kill Evan Jade. You will devote yourself to his fall, you will purge any remnant of his taint from this galaxy."

"A possible death now or a certain death later, amazing, how could I possibly turn your offer down?"

"Enough witch. I will provide you data, records of his abilities and skills. Supplies and equipment will also be provided as well as a small squadron of capital scale ships for you to use as you will. I do not care about a timescale, you could wait for him to die of natural causes as far as I am concerned as long as you make him bleed for every breath."

"And why are you asking me to do this rather than doing it yourself?"

"I might be the mad dog everyone calls me, but I am still a general. I have planned out various options for how the war will end. None of them favour me. I expect one of four deaths to occur, at the end of a lightsaber either a Jedi's or Dooku's; the destruction of my ships bridge with me upon it; Dooku's master dealing with me personally; or the most likely, Jade will come after me personally."

Ventress merely grunted in agreement.

"Either way I will not beat Jade if we do face each other, I have never beaten him since he built his lightsabers and he has grown much stronger since then. Therefore I am preparing my vengeance against him. You. You and your sisters will carve his heart from his chest."

Ventress smiled at Grievous, "You know what, I think I can work with that."

* * *

 **AN:**

So, thank you Snow-Nightshade for being the one to get my 1000th favourite and thank you Esparza3368 for making the 500th review. At the beginning I never imagined I would get this much support, so thank you everyone :)

00000

 **Reviews:**

Beloved Daughter: It was this or Breaker of Chains, will likely use the second one later on in the story.

Esparza3368: Glad to hear that you are enjoying the story. That is the unfortunate trade off of ignoring sections and dealing with what's important to my story, at least in my own mind. Strangely I'm not actually trying to bash them, I've dealt with all that in previous chapters, this was how I saw the Jedi handling a difficult and dangerous situation which spiralled out of control, which was about as well as most people would have. In the fight Dooku easily beat his student, then was Yoda's match. He had to cheat to win, using crucio in a moments opening, something Yoda had never encountered before. As for fighting Windu, he was barely keeping up, he knew he was losing and attempted to apparate in desperation but ended up splinching himself instead. Windu then fought Harry who was having trouble with the Jedi Master but covered it in bravado and taunts.

Link01742: Ahsoka actually tapped into a rather unrefined and anger fuelled Imperio without understanding. She was also disgusted by how easy it felt and the rush of the dark magic in her system. The Zygerrion reacted very badly from basically being enslaved and killing his colleagues. Artificial Insemination is the right answer. Glad you enjoyed it.

Arashi – IV of VI: Thank you.

Guest: Harry has made many enemies quite quickly and those have their own minions to use. Cloning magic users doesn't give Sidious that much without raining and resources he is unaware of. That's if he can clone the ability to use magic cleanly enough, he's having enough trouble with the force.

BioHazard82: Thank you.

Penny is Wise: Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.

SSSra: Glad you enjoyed it. I hope the chapter lived up to expectations. Harry and Xora have slept together but both don't allow themselves to progress into a real relationship. As for how things progress, we'll both have to wait and see. I don't plan those sections, I just let the scenes write themselves.

Davycrockett100: Thank you.

Blinded in a Bolthole: The last chapter involved the assimilation of thoughts not his own and the chapter before involved a fragment of his personality having an identity crisis. He'll balance out soon and stabilise in personality.

Starboy454: Thank you.

Shadowsmage: Thank you.

Guest: Thank you.

Em13ee: Thank you.

Bearmauls: You're telling me. It was hard keeping everything in alignment and making sure things were in reasonable order. Some overlap happened, but I think it worked out in the end. Harry's mental development is a work in progress, he's learning new things about himself all the time. I have plans for Ahsoka, fear not. The samples was actually inspired randomly from writing and a trailer for rebels came on in the background, my mind wandered, I like the idea so I began the prep work for that.

Ahsanrox: Thank you. I personally think it was one of my worst, but I always think that. You are your own worst critic after all.

Dukke: Thank you.

Selacha: Thank you and that is one of the most terrifyingly scary and awesome things I've ever heard about any work I've done, so thank you again.

Greshym: Thank you.

Mangahero18: Most of this was prep work, plus I had to get rid of the Horcrux somehow :)

Bluesnowman: Thank you.

Ranmaleopard: I'm glad you are enjoying it still. First he has to find out, and it was more than just blood, but it ends up with the same result in the end. Indeed they would, with all that will entail.

Blackholelord: Like I have said to many, I will finish the story, no promises on the release schedule, but it would have to be a major event to stop me continuing. Harry is like a pebble thrown into a pond, he changes everything at least for a time. No comment on the last point, well not yet anyway :)

Pyro69j: Thank you. I try to get them out as soon as their ready, but it does take time, which is now in much shorter supply. Snape will get his comeuppance, fear not on that front. After all, Harry might just hold a few grudges for events on that front.

Lord of Carrion: Elia has her own path to follow alongside a few others, she might drift away for a time, but her story is not yet over. As for Dooku, well this chapter covered a lot of that I think.

Ksecc1: Ahsoka has been nudged along with logic and philosophy. Her eyes are opening to the galaxy around her and what she is becoming. What she decides to do with that realisation is her choice, something she is beginning to realise she lacked previously. I think I covered the relationship changes in this chapter between harry and Dooku to my tastes. Not going to please everyone, but that's life. I hope you keep enjoying it.

Sajuuk: Wow, big review. Thank you. James has been playing his own game for a while, fear not. Unfortunately he can't get to the holocron's himself, so he's leaving that alone for now. Harrys faction have some HK51 units already, research and development are playing with them in the background. He just sees powerful followers if they are trained properly, the independent Potter genetics aren't in his visions however. Unfortunately Magical DNA seems to like doing weird things, no clones, but all the results of Project Titan will have something of Harry in them. The biochip in the clones is hardwired unfortunately, the only way to gain them as an army is to remove the chips without warning Sidious or to become chancellor of the republic before Sidious triggers them. Harry has a few edges already over the other factions techwise, too much and he walks over them. Finding the balance is difficult in writing a story like this. All that tech would require Harry to know about it, remember that he left earth in 1995, most of that stuff hadn't even been thought of yet. Xora is building a super star destroyer for him, pretty sure that would count as a mobile base. Remember that I'm only dealing with a few story threads that resolve around Harry's journey, there's plenty happening in the background behind the scenes. Strangely Mother Talzin will avoid Harry like the plague right now, she has no idea what he's capable of and that scares her. Harry knows only what Dooku has taught him in regards to Force techniques, that and his magic helps.

Gaschalk: Thank you and I'm glad you are enjoying it. Spelling mistakes are a work in progress :)

Indecisive Bob: Thank you. The shattering of Harrys trust in Dooku would definitely be important enough for Windu to sense.

Stars90: Thank you. They are both important to how the story progresses so they deserved screen time and development. I was tempted for the Hutts and a few others to throw their own agents after Harry but thought it too much. If you like, just imagine dozens of brawls and fights occurring around the area, much to the confusion to local law enforcement.

Red Demon161: Something she has done from the start and I'm glad that the character developed along those lines.

God of All: Glad you are enjoying it.

Grayiron: Thank you. I hope this was quick enough for you.

HJPotterReader: Thank you so much for your kind words. It is a terrifying and awesome thing to read reviews like this. It's also a huge boost to the ego, let me tell you. :) Its got a while to go, so hopefully things will keep you interested and enjoying the story. I'm in payroll, so bad puns is a way of life for me.

Grovepjp: Your welcome, I think. Not sure what that means actually.

Kabir0399: Thank you.

Michaelkoc1: Thank you, glad you are enjoying it. Just to note that he actually bit off more than he could chew in that fight. Windu was near matching him against apparition after fighting Dooku. Harry didn't have his wand and full range of magic available, but Windu was still a credible threat. Whilst Harry would be better geared and experienced the next time they meet, Windu will not be as surprised and likely fresher.

Shin1gam1: Thank you.

TheHollowCrown: Thank you.

RAD092515: Thank you.

Ddzhalev: Thank you. I'm glad you are enjoying the story, although I am sad to hear of your decision about favouriting the story, I can understand your viewpoint on the matter.

K4m3j0: One of my favourite DS9 episodes, a was a good point to use it.

SimFlyer: Thank you, hopefully you'll enjoy it to the end.

Neon1311: Thank you. Elia is still an idealist who hasn't seen the frontlines like others have.

Beanseh: Not a bad idea. I always thought that the protective wards on a building would use lightning strikes to strengthen themselves.

Warpwind: Thank you for your comment.

Erik: Thank you.

Ecto-DMC: Glad you are enjoying it, there's a chunk more to go before he returns, but I'm getting there.

Vyoom: Indeed we are.

Randomguy: Thank you.

Naruharem Foreva: They have a range of sample to work from, it's his blood which is the really disruptive element to acquire. But I put in a small scene just to expand on that question as it's a valid one that I hadn't covered.

Duel Sabers: Thank you. Harry had realised he had bitten off a touch more than he could chew with Mace so used what resources he could to sway the fight. It also made Mace believe that Harry was playing with him rather than actually having trouble.

Cole Pascal: Thank you and I agree with you on the matter of having a Beta.

Tpowe15: Thank you.

Guest: As requested.

GL (Guest): I may do something about it in the future, but I like to thank everyone who takes the time to review my story.

Insidethefire: Thank you. I have plans on expanding info on the characters in a forum, I may do that with the events as well.

LoneWolfAndCub: First of all, nice name, love that manga. It was a little overkill, but I felt it made the right kind of image when someone went to investigate. That was a very difficult section to write, the flow had to work with disjointed events, I'm just glad that people liked it. Thank you for the compliment.

ShadowPhoenix1989: I'm both pleased that you gave it a second chance and proud that you think so highly of my story.

Shadow82ABN: Here you go :)

Iskandar06: Thank you.

doRingo: I hope you keep enjoying the story.

Kain129: I will do.

Shalifi: I hope you enjoy the story as it progresses. As written above. It didn't end as badly as it could, but it was definitely not neat. Padme is stuck between her loyalty to her people and her faith in the Republic. She truly believes in it, which is her greatest flaw.

Hedstrom: The Jensaarai do not yet truly exist at this point of the story, they are currently rebuilding after the Jedi's assault. Their systems are within the territory now controlled by Jade, so they are likely to become allies of his in the future, mostly over their mutual dislike of the Jedi and their view of the force. As for the Potentium, they are observing what happens in the galaxy, they have yet to make a decision of what to do.


	22. Resetting the Board

**Chapter 22 – Resetting the Board**

 **AN:** Before we begin the latest instalment, I have a question for my readers. Should I keep this story in its current crossover section or should I move it to the crossovers of the Star Wars film category? I have started my first ever Poll to decide this. Please make your choice and I will follow the majority decision. The Poll will be up until the next chapter is ready to post and the changes, if any, will occur as quickly as I can afterwards. Thanks, and again, Enjoy!

Also thanks to my new Beta Divine-Faithborn, good luck, you're going to need it :) The work done on this chapter alone, made it a much smoother story to read. Again, Thank you!

On top of all that, thank you Billbobt for being my 1500th follower, thank you all for getting him there :) 

* * *

Harry slid the pieces of wood together around the line of crystalline dust that formed the core. With a few whispered words a surge of magic sealed the pieces and he couldn't help but smile as he looked at the finished item.

Dark heartwood from the Jungles of Dromund Kaas was his wood of choice and the crushed shards of an attuned lightsaber crystal forged from his will and the Force using Sith alchemy made up the wand's core. A quick flick affirmed its suitability; it felt vibrant and ready in his palm, not quite the same as his old wand but still an excellent replacement.

Pleased, he began on crafting a spare should anything happen to his main wand. Better to take no chances. He stopped for a moment and chuckled, maybe a few more would do, best to be sure.

Maybe a few for others whilst he was at it.

Just in case.

* * *

Lux Bonteri stared once more at the datapad in his hand, a finger longingly stroking his mother's image on the screen.

"I will avenge you, mother. He will pay for what he did to you, I swear it. Harry said to keep calm and quiet, to leave it to him to resolve. But I can't do that... What sort of man would I be if I did that? Would Father be proud… would you be proud?"

He sighed as a tear fell upon the screen.

"I miss you so much."

A knock at his cabins hatch caught his attention. Wiping his eyes he moved to answer.

The dark visor of the helmet looked down at him, the blue and grey in sharp relief over the curves. It was almost feminine as far as Mandalorean armor was concerned. "We'll be there within the next ten minutes, are you ready?"

At his nod, she snorted. "You're either very brave or incredibly stupid, but we understand the call of family. Good luck kid. You're gonna need it."

* * *

Harry stood behind the three CIS senators; Anhur stood to his side and four commando droids completed their security detail. Across from him an impressive group of Bail Organa, Padme Amidala, and Mon Mothma stood along with with Ahsoka Tano, her master's astromech droid, and four senate guards. At the front of the room, Duchess Satine Kryze sat upon her throne watching the negotiations with two of her guards flanking her.

As individuals had taken their seats and moved to their positions, he had nodded to Amidala and smiled at Ahsoka.

That had been nearly half an hour ago and they had finally gotten past introductions. Talk about formalities. Even the refined Duchess Satine looked bored with the progress.

He allowed his mind to wander a touch, reaching out to those around him with his magic, trying to feel some of their emotions and thoughts. Satine was worried, everytime she looked at him he felt a spike of unease, the sickly sensation reminding him of the original plans for his attendance. The prisoners were waiting in orbit for the negotiations to reach that stage to begin the exchange. As he continued to feel those around him, his eyes widened as he felt an echo of power come from Ahsoka Tano.

Her eyes suddenly snapped to his in a flare of confusion and then annoyance as he raised an eyebrow at her. Making eye contact and taking a risk, he gathered his power and entered her mind with a whisper of magic.

Her mind was unfocused through confusion but disciplined enough to feel his intrusion, her subconscious already surging to drive him out. He smiled at that, a good starting point and something to work from. Apparently the Jedi had some useful techniques after all.

"Peace, Ahsoka, we need to talk as soon as possible." He immediately withdrew, soothing the damage from the intrusion as he passed.

He focused upon her once more in the throne room and watched as she rubbed at her temple as if she had a headache but nodded when she made eye contact with him.

Stepping forward, he nodded to the senators before turning to face the Duchess. "If you will allow me?" At her agreeing nod he continued.

"Senators, I sense that the presence of a Jedi and, even worse, my own presence in this room, is distracting you from your discussions. I completely understand how we may appear intimidating to others. Therefore I would offer to show Padawan Tano around the gardens and leave you to the important work of finding a middle ground and hopefully peace between us."

At the approving noises, he bowed and left the hall into the palace gardens to await his guest.

* * *

The hooded figure entered the courtyard of the market, its eyes scanning over the signs on display. Finding the one it wanted it opened the door to the ringing of a few chimes.

The female Togruta behind the counter looked up and smiled at the potential customer. She smoothly stood from her stool and bowed slightly to the newcomer. "Welcome to the finest engravers on all of Shili and the entire sector. How may we help you?"

"I'm looking for Bindusara Tano."

The Togruta raised an eyebrow marking before turning to a side and opening a screen door, "Bindu, a customer is asking for you."

After a moment a tall Togruta male entered the shop, wiping his hands on a cloth. "I'm Bindusara Tano, How can I help you?"

"Excellent," the figure pulled back her hood. "My name is Avlin Varn and I'm here on my patron's behalf to offer you a job and an opportunity unlike any other. One that will reward your family greatly."

* * *

Padme looked over those gathered. "The Republic recognizes the tragedy of war, but there is nothing we can do to change that which has already occurred."

Voe Atell leant forward. "Say it aloud before this gathering: as representative for Chancellor Palpatine, that you declare, without reservation, the separatist state legitimate."

The CIS representatives all nodded in agreement as Padme frowned, unable to say the words.

From the entrance to the Throne Room, a new voice called out, sure and strong, but still young. "I have something to say about the legitimacy of the separatists!"

Both sides whispered to each other, confused as to the young man's reasons for intruding.

Mon Mothma triggered a hidden recording device on her wrist. This was not expected and could provide a weapon to strike into the cohesion of the Separatists. Any cracks in their armour must be forced open. Any weakness exploited in full and displayed to the galaxy.

Bowing before the Duchess, Lux waited for a signal from her. Duchess Satine observed him for a moment, curiosity winning out over dismissal. At her nod and wave of her hand, he moved to the CIS podium to speak. "I stand before you as the son of Senator Mina Bonteri, loyal separatist, a patriot, a friend. I come bearing grave news. It is come to my attention that my mother was murdered by Count Dooku in cold blood!"

Padme gasped, her hand raised to her mouth to cover her shock. Mon Mothma and Bail Organa glanced between each other. Mon knew the others would not use this properly, it was up to her now.

Voe Attell almost leapt to her feet, a finger pointed at the young man. "How dare you!"

Bec Lawise joined her, storming to his feet, anger filling his words. "That is a lie!"

Voe snarled at him, "You insult us all with such an accusation, where is your evidence brought before the law? Your slander is unfounded and dishonourable!

Bec sharply motioned to the droids. "Guards! Take him! Remove this traitor immediately!"

Mon Mothma stood and called out, "I would hear him speak! He must have proof of his allegations if he came here. The Republic has always known House Bonteri to be honourable."

As the commando droids grasped his shoulders, Lux called out, "I will not be silenced!"

In the Chaos Duchess Satine stood tall, raising a hand in warning. "Stop this! Let him speak."

Atell stood to face the Duchess as Lux was escorted from the room. "This is obviously an internal matter. We would ask to respect that we deal with this matter ourselves."

"Listen to me! Count Dooku is deceiving all of you! You will all be betrayed just like my mother!" Lux's shouts echoing around the large hall until the doors slammed shut restoring the quiet.

Lawise bowed slightly to the others, "I apologize for such a rude interruption. Please, let us continue."

Behind him, Anhur silently motioned the rest of the droids to remain as he quietly left to follow his Fathers friend.

Mon Mothma glared at Atell, her eyes judging the worth of pushing this further. With a knowing smirk she returned to her seat. She wondered how deep this crack spread.

00000

Asajj Ventress looked through the shuttle's viewport. She was impressed that Grievous appeared to have kept his word. Turning to her seconds, she nodded to them. "Destroy every combat capable droid, wipe and reset the maintenance and engineering droids. Scrap medical droids and install our own."

At their salute she returned to watching the approach to the ships.

"Thank you General," She whispered to the air, "but it's time for me to choose my own path."

* * *

Ahsoka walked into the garden following the stormy presence she felt waiting for her. Coming to a small pond, she found Jade sitting at a table to one side, a bottle of wine and two glasses waiting for her.

"General," she nodded politely.

Jade smirked as he nodded in return, "Padawan Tano, please sit."

As she did so, he observed her before nodding in approval. "You have studied well. You are much more fluid in motion than before."

"I have had an excellent teacher."

He chuckled, "I imagine you have. We have little time and a lot to discuss, would you care to try something… new?"

"New? What do you mean?"

"We shall discuss matters further by talking mentally."

She blinked in surprise, "What? How would that give us the time to talk?"

"I am apparently very good at this, I can alter your perception of time within the effect and we will be able to discuss matters at a much greater speed. I will repeat what I did earlier, but this time do not fight me. Do not worry, you will be safe."

She frowned before rubbing at a pendant under her robes. "Alright."

He smiled at her, "Excellent, shall we begin?"

"How will I know if it works?"

He smiled. "It already has, welcome to my mind."

Blinking Ahsoka looked around at a large stone hall with no roof, open to the cloudy snow filled sky above. Great stained glass windows displayed strange patterns and everything in the room was covered in an icy motif. To one side a round table with two chairs waited for them. Misty figures drifted around the room; a low hubbub of voices joining with the sudden music to fill the background.

Jade stepped forward in some form of robe-suit combination, "May I have this dance?"

"What? But I'm…"

He chuckled and smiled at her. "Imagine the dress you wish to wear then we shall dance, have a meal, and discuss what happens from here."

Leading her to the dance floor, she imagined wearing the dress she wore at the meal on his flagship. "How is this happening?"

Nodding in approval at her dress choice, he took her hand and began to sweep her around the dance floor. "This is all a construct of my mental defenses. These are memories allowed to play out in the background, nothing more. They were a spot of light during a dark period of my life and I like to remember this night."

"How did you learn to do this? I've never heard of any Force technique like this."

"From an unexpected source; I've attained a surprising proficiency with it. I'm not sure how much I could teach you, but I'm willing to give it a go at a later point when we have time. Now, tell me. How are your studies going?"

"Master Skywalker is a good teacher, but it always feels like he's holding back. Krait is also a good teacher but sometimes I wonder about what he is teaching me."

"How so?"

"It just seems rather, I don't want to use the word but, dark."

"Ah, the conflict of the Jedi code against his teachings is something that I understand. But tell me. Since you have taken those steps, how do you feel?"

"I feel fine, drained from the difficult work but stronger and more alive than I have felt in a long time. Sometimes everything seems so much more vibrant; as if trees and rocks have a pulse."

Jade laughed at the description, "You are indeed gifted if you could feel that." The dance ended and he bowed to her before he led her to the table and helped her sit. "Order what you like, it will be as I remember tasting it. Just beware that there are a few oddities on that menu and that I still have a long way to go before I've tasted most of them."

As she ordered her food, he smiled at her, "If you are willing I can pass on many lessons. It would seem like a month or two of intense training, but it would be enough to give you the very basics. The rest would take too long and my own education was never completed. You would have to practice in secret, your peers would not understand. But I will hold nothing back, should you desire it."

She frowned for a few minutes as she pondered the offer. "What would it cost me?"

He smirked, "Good, you know the truth that nothing is free. My price is a genuine smile and your friendship as long as you would offer it to me. Other than that, you will gain many enemies should you be discovered."

She stroked a lekku in thought before nodding to him, "Very well, I accept."

His grin was honest and infectious, "Now tell me something, what do you know about magic?"

* * *

Lux was dragged into a secure comm room and thrown to his knees as Count Dooku's image appeared. Only the pale blue visage of the count and the tiny lights on the guard droids illuminated the otherwise lightless room.

Dooku's drawl sounded slightly frustrated. "Those are some rather strong accusations you have levied against me."

Lux snarled his words at the murderer. "You know what you did, Dooku."

Dooku focused his attention on something outside the image, bored with his accuser. "Do I? I have done a lot of things, young man, and choose to remember them in order of importance. The death of your mother seems to have escaped to me."

Anger boiled in his veins as Lux triggered the signal tracker on his wrist whilst Dooku's attention was elsewhere. "I will have my revenge."

Dooku sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, before turning to look down on the kneeling youth, "I think it is time we reacquaint the young senator with his mother." He paused for a moment, turning to the command droids before issuing a single order and cutting the communications link.

"Kill him."

In the now dark room, Lux turned to face the droids as they moved to attack.

Anhur moved from his corner, the disillusionment collapsing as his lightsabers ignited, two swift blows tore the commandos apart faster than Lux could blink.

The blades deactivated as Anhur reached out a clawed hand to pull Lux to his feet. "Father would be displeased for you to die. He will be angry with you as it is. This way."

Leaving the ship, Anhur saw the security team and, before they could even react to his presence, he was amongst them; a whirling dervish of lightsabers and claws. Within seconds he had slaughtered them, a head still clutched in one of his feet.

Kicking it to one side he motioned towards a nearby ship. "You will be taking that one." Leading the way he attached a cable from himself into the ships security system and shuddered for a few seconds. "There, the ship will respond to you as its owner. Go. Father will find you later."

Lux looked at the combat droid. "Thank you. Tell Harry the same."

The green sensors focused on him for a moment. "I will tell him once he has calmed down. Go."

* * *

Xora looked at the voting figures, "So, we are in agreement then?" At no further comments, she nodded. "Very well. The Charter of Accord is complete, all have willingly made their marks to support it and all are in agreement of our next actions to take. The next step is to decide upon who should lead us into the new galaxy. Please make your proposals and we shall tally the options."

After a few minutes a small list of names appeared on the screen.

Xora chuckled at the sight of one of the names. "Twenty seven percent of the suggestions have no second proposals and as such have been removed from the vote. Another thirty four percent of the total hold up a range of names, but none are valued at more than three percent of the vote. Of the remaining thirty nine percent, three names stand above the other options: Senator Beolars Bribbs of Sullust,"

She waited as he bowed to the calls of support before continuing, smirking with amusement as she read out the second option, "Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora."

Riyo blanched as she looked around in surprise to the approving nods and messages of support from many of the others. "And third is General Evan Jade of Eriadu."

Nodding at the names, she triggered the next round of voting. "Members of the Council, please make your decision on our first leader."

* * *

Ahsoka sat in her darkened room of the ship, her mind drifting through the meditative techniques as she had been taught. But too much turmoil filled her mind and she could not bring her mind to rest. Not before she had at least experimented some.

Opening her eyes, she pulled out the crystal pendant around her neck, the orange glow from within pulsing gently in time with her heart. Opening the package she had found waiting for her in her quarters, she stroked the wooden stick.

Intricate carvings ran along its length, her own lekku markings matching the design. The wood looked almost like a form of ivory.

The feeling though, it was amazing, like a limb she had never known was missing until this, piece of wood and crystal, had touched her hand. She felt almost… awake. Not the best word, but nothing else came close to explaining the sensation. It was like a heavy cloud over her mind had been lifted. The wood felt like a coiled serpent within her hand, ready and willing to defend her no matter her desires. In her hands, it would always be loyal. She would never be alone.

Lifting it before her, she raised it tip up, stroking the length of it with a fingertip, following a pattern woven amongst the engravings.

She took a deep breath and replicated the motion he had shown her, the intent flooding through her being, the power surging through her veins, the desire to impose her will upon the universe and a whisper of a word in Jades native tongue.

"Lumos."

The world lit up in a brilliant light as she felt relief flood through her, freeing her of a tension that she had not quite been aware of. It felt liberating and her smile almost as bright as the light of the spell.

With a frown she realized how the Jedi would take such knowledge, especially in regards to who it had come from. He had warned her of the potential for good and evil that this gift possessed. Much like the Force, it could and would be abused in the wrong hands.

A whisper of "Nox" allowed the darkness to return along with her deep thoughts of what her next step would be.

* * *

"Bonteri," Pre Vizsla smirked at him. "I see you are unhurt, I take it your plan worked then?"

"It did."

"Excellent. Well, to business. Sit." Pre Vizsla motioned to a chair opposite the side of the table where he was resting. "So, you have Dooku's location. We have the men and skills. A fair trade to get what we both want. But you mentioned something different on the way here?"

"Yes, I wish to propose a more long term alliance. Basically the same deal but on a bigger scale."

Vizsla leant back as far as he could in the chair. "Go on."

"I know you seek to take control of your world. I want to free mine. A simple proposal. You help me drive off the separatists and free Onderon from the tyrant Sanjay Rash. Once that's done, I will be free to aid your own campaign with funds, men and equipment. I will support your legitimate claim for Mandalore. If we can restore the King to his rightful place, you will likely have more support than my own coffers can supply. In addition, the House of Bonteri knows the location of an ancient Mandalorian stronghold hidden on the Moon of Dxun. I can provide that information as a gift on your success. How does that sound?"

Vizsla leant forward to look Lux Bonteri in the eyes. In them, the Mandalorian leader could sense the fire of determination. "You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention," he raised a hand to silence Lux for a moment before calling out, "Lieutenant!"

As she entered the tent, he nodded to her. "Inform the men that we will be leaving at dawn, clean up the area."

Viszla waited for the Lieutenant to leave the tent before he turned back to Lux, smiling at him with a predatory grin. "If you give me the location of that stronghold first we will have a deal."

* * *

Xora opened the comm link and waited for his response.

Harrys voice broke the silence, "How did it go?"

"Almost to plan, Riyo Chuchi almost became Empress, but your only other rival was Beolars as agreed."

"Riyo? Now that would have been interesting. I might make her my heir for the time being, see what ripples that causes."

"You'll give the poor girl a heart attack. How is it going there?"

"Mandalore is Mandalore. Nothing much changes but there are enough ripples of discontent that Deathwatch may actually win if the populace is nudged in the right way. These talks went nowhere and it will hurt the Duchesses position slightly but not too much. No-one expected the war to end here and now."

"Do you want me to send some privateers to the region to support her?"

"No, start Operation Shield Wall. I want our borders secure as quickly as possible. Best send the messages about order sixty-six out."

"As you wish. Anything else?"

"No, I'm on my way home now." He looked at her for a moment. "Keep safe."

"You too." Cutting the link she smiled as she looked at the galactic map, "Will you realize what's happening before it's too late?"

* * *

Pre Vizsla looked over the ruins before him, a smile almost splitting his face at what may be here.

Lux looked up at the tall Mandalorian. "Is this to your satisfaction?"

"My Boy," he clasped his hand on Lux's shoulder. "I am impressed, more than impressed in fact. Do you have any idea as to who once lived here? Mandalore the Preserver!" His gaze once more surveyed the ruins. "The man was a legend even amongst the ranks of the Mandalore. He is my personal hero, restoring the Mandalorians in a time of darkness for our people. I hope to have but a fraction of his fame when history looks back on me."

Laughing with joy he turned to his guards. "Which of you would accept this man amongst your clan?"

Lux blinked and looked at Vizsla in shock. "What?"

A woman stepped forward. "Clan Wren would be proud to take him amongst our ranks Mandalore. I witnessed his mourning for family and then strength to march into almost certain death to give us a weapon. I would be proud to have him amongst my clan."

Vizsla smiled at her. "Excellent, take him and teach him Yanka. Make him one of us in truth."

As Yanka led the confused youth away, Vizsla turned to look at Bo-Katan who was shaking her head. "Is there a problem?"

"No Mandalore," she chuckled at the questioning look, "I am sure he will make a fine wife."

Laughter spread amongst their ranks as Vizsla joined the laughter and looked once more on the ruins. "Search everywhere, leave no stone unturned. Collect anything still of use to us at the centre of the camp. The one who brings me the mask will be rewarded like no other."

* * *

Harry turned to Xora as he pulled on the robes, "Is everything in place?"

She smiled at him as she brushed at his shoulders, "Don't worry, everything is ready for you to give the command. You look very nice."

"Thank you. Then you can give the order, Operation Crinitus Lepus can begin on the signal."

She chuckled, "Any excuse to name something Operation something or other."

"Everyone has a hobby," he chuckled as he stroked her cheek on the way past to the studio.

She shook her head in exasperation as she followed him. "What does that name even mean?"

* * *

"Senator Bribbs, a pleasure to see you again. How may the banking clan be of service?"

Handing over a datapad, Beolars smiled, "I'd like to close these accounts and transfer the funds to a new account."

The Banking representative nodded. "Very well, what is the name of the new account?" Glancing at the datapad his eyes widened at the amount of money about to be moved around.

"Turn on the news and you'll see in about… thirty seconds."

* * *

The signal cut through all others, burning its way to display on every network it could. From the glowing adverts of the streets to the image of the Jedi Master currently speaking within the Senate Chamber. The signal spread across the galaxy as a ripple in a pond, leaving change in its wake.

An image of a bird of prey made of green fire, rising with spread wings and lightning in its talons on a black background held everyone's attention.

Moments later a tall figure appeared, wearing regal robes similar to those of a Jedi but much more ornate and cut for battle. Glimpses of armor peeked from beneath the robes and a pair of lightsabers sat at the waist. Gauntleted hands rose and removed the helmet letting the galaxy see his face; it was recognizable as General Evan Jade with his vibrant eyes and scruffy hair.

Silence fell as he reached out both arms as if in greeting and began to talk.

"Sentient Beings of the Galaxy, I ask for a few moments of your time to indulge me as I stand before you all to bring news of a great change in the balance of power.

For Millennia, the Golden Titan that was the Republic has stood strong, tall, and proud against all threats. It was the pinnacle of what can be done if beings put aside their differences and worked together.

But over time, the wounds caused by hundreds upon thousands of minor events got infected and rot got into the system. Where once it was seen as a duty and honour to be chosen to stand for their people, it slowly changed. Greed and the taint of corruption have spread like a cancer, leaving festering wounds and poisons that spread and infected others."

* * *

Hondo Ohnaka waited for the signal, as the image appeared he motioned to his men. "Remember, quick and clean. The faster we are, the more we get paid."

Watching as his men quickly swarmed into the building, he calmly strolled through the hallways and into the manager's office. There he found a terrified man, trying and failing to mask his alarm. "My friend, today is an auspicious day for both of us. Normally I would wine and dine you before starting business, but, we are in a bit of a hurry."

The sharply suited human sneered at the alien pirate with a false bravado, "What do you want?"

"Me? Why I am but a humble servant. On the other hand, what my patron desires are the special designs hidden in your vault. I believe the files are under the name Project Quicksand?"

Fear flooded the human as his eyes widened, "How do you know about those?"

"Does it really matter? The faster you give me them, the less upset your staff are going to get, so shall we?"

"… And if I still say no?"

"Then I will assign you to one of my men who, and I can assure you of this, is most persuasive at getting answers and you will become most upset until you agree. But we are lucky that it won't come to that… Will it?"

* * *

"Tradition stifled development and progress has stagnated. Things are maintained not because it is the best option but rather because it has always been like that.

The Council of Independent Systems was a group of like-minded individuals who believed in the core tenets of the Republic, what it once stood for, honor, justice, and fidelity. But they grew sickened at what they saw hidden beneath the paint used to hide the corruption. They broke free in an attempt to simply maintain their right to choose for themselves. To develop and grow. To rise higher than their ancestors dared to dream.

They broke away and were called separatists and rebels for their actions. An honorable man, Count Dooku, beloved as a hero of justice and peace by many, led them. As a Jedi Master he could do nothing, a slave to the senate's commandments, but as a Count of Serrano he could truly fight the injustice he saw each day.

But over time, this war has twisted the CIS into what it is today. They have become their own enemy, a mirror to the Republic."

* * *

James sat at rest in his new base deep within the tunnels of the Jedi Temple. It was an old junction room lost amongst the disused areas but still near enough the major data lines to access them after he had reconnected the room to the power lines. The air was putrid and tainted with chemicals and age; a leak from the Kel'dor living quarters added to the miasma that filled the area. The metal grating on the floors was warped and twisted, any investigators would make plenty of noise should someone intrude upon his new domain whilst requiring a sealed environment suit for organics to survive here. Droids would be troublesome, but the majority of those used by the Jedi lacked his mobility, the pitfalls and blockages wouldn't stop him but would become disruptive to others. The sharp edges to puncture suits would also help.

He had a dozen cables connected to his access ports and linked to his stolen computer which in turn linked to the temple's data lines. Receiving the signal to begin his work, he quickly linked up with the Planets network and sent the first virus.

He smiled as it began to spread into the systems navigation network. Within thirty seconds, ships had already left the system to their destinations with the virus infiltrating their communications and navigation systems. Local flight paths for planetary transport were also infected. The trains would be troublesome but no accidents should occur.

He started the second virus to begin hunting within the Jedi Library; removing the navigation data there would disrupt things for decades if not longer. Technically it was not a part of his mission, but it was a minor vengeance on the Jedi for what they did to Father. He had already copied most of the records; those that remained were in the secure records or the Masters Vault - areas he was still trying to access.

If he could smile then he would been grinning from ear to ear at the chaos this would cause.

* * *

"The Neutral systems led by the honorable Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore have stepped forward, trying their utmost to bring peace between all parties, but they are a small child caught between two titans of war." Jade raised a fist in salute over his heart. "I honour their ideals but do not believe that they will succeed without major change occurring first. Change I will provide."

"The Jedi, once wise and peaceful guardians of order and justice, have been blinded by the cries of the innocent. They now lead armies of clone troopers against legions of droid soldiers. Each battle takes them a step further away from what they should be. Each battle leaves them standing in the scrap of their enemies and the blood of their soldiers. They stand upon the blood of the innocent and for what cause? The Republic's pride? Can they look upon their reflections and be proud of what they have become? What are they now? Where were the Jedi when a thousand worlds cried out at the injustice of the Republic?"

* * *

The Senate Guard scanned the package as the delivery droid passed the datapad to his companion. "Nothing unusual, an antique to go in some senator's office no doubt."

"Who's it for?"

"Senator Organa."

"Huh, that's odd. He normally isn't into showing off like this."

"Maybe he's got something special here."

"Maybe." the second guard shrugged before turning to the droid, "Well, go on then, you know the way."

Neither saw as the screen on the secure crate flickered and changed address from Senator Organa to Chancellor Palpatine before blanking.

The droid, already on route had no reason to check the address.

* * *

Jade bowed his head and clasped his hands before him at his waist. "I was born to a normal family, long had we been gifted in the force. I was taken, stolen, when they were murdered; betrayed by one they trusted. I was raised as a slave, later to be freed and then trained to fight, to die for a cause without understanding or thought; another form of slavery. But I broke free and became more. I stood up and said 'No!' I learnt more from an honourable man who aided me not because he gained anything from it, but because it was the right thing to do. I ask you to join me and stand tall, stand proud. Both my friends and enemies have forged me into what I am today, and I will use their gifts, their lessons to do my utmost, to be the best I can be."

He raised his head and his eyes bored into his observers. They shined with a fiery intensity at the belief in his words. "I am honored to have been chosen by the leaders of over a thousand worlds to declare the formation of a new galactic power. A new Empire, an Imperium of Sentients, born of the ideals that all civilized cultures should desire and armed with honour, justice, and the desire for peace and the safety for all.

We are rising from the ashes of the old, shielded by a navy and army that truly believe in the cause. No conscripts, no mercenaries. Formed from those believers of the Imperium, who dream as I do, of a better galaxy."

* * *

Master Hran opened the package and pondered who had sent it and why. Placing the medical file to one side he began to read.

 _Right now, I should be displayed on every channel giving a message to the galaxy, ignore it, I have included a copy within this message to inform you of what will be occurring. This is so much more important._

 _Now on to business._

 _Greetings to you rare few of whom I call Jedi with no insult meant. You are some of those I feel actually bear that title with dignity and honor. Those who do not claim to be Jedi but ARE Jedi._

 _Therefore out of my respect for you, I have chosen to provide a small amount of information and a few warnings._

 _Seek out your peers._

 _Think before you act, but act you must._

 _The rest is up to you._

 _Make sure you are alone and unobserved, this information must not reach certain individuals. You will understand why. Once you have understood this, destroy the originals, do not make copies, should you wish to trust another and tell them, make sure you are secure._

 _An event is coming, one too great and terrible to ignore. I am doing all I can to prevent or delay its arrival, but I doubt that is possible, therefore I am preparing you through this message._

* * *

 _Please note the medical data I have provided about a specific piece of medical engineering. Your medical scanners have been programmed to ignore this item. Those within public hands or have had their data upgraded within the last fifteen years will not display it. Perhaps you may have better luck than I in investigating further on that front._

Elia Tanna opened the paper file, the images showing a cranial scan of a human and a dark mass within the skull on the surface of the brain. Turning back to the letter, she continued.

 _You may also recognise the subject involved in the matter, I am afraid that this condition is one shared by the entire family in question. All of them._

 _They are not consciously aware of the matter in question, but they have no control about following the orders contained within the item._

 _Perhaps you might even have an idea as to how such an item may have found its way to its current home. Perhaps not, but I look forward to hearing your discoveries in the news._

* * *

 _The data held upon the item in question is of vital importance to your future, look hard and deep at the details, ignore nothing and then ponder who did this and why it was done. Why hide something already known to all. Who profits most for when the command is given._

 _And it will be given. If there is nothing else you believe from this message, believe that._

 _Once you know the answers you will understand my concerns on just telling you._

 _Would you have believed me?_

 _Beware who you inform of this, save as many as you can but beware discovery. Your discovery will mean deaths._

 _Who do you trust?_

 _Are you sure?_

 _Yours,_

 _A friend._

Master Tera Sinube read it once more and then destroyed the originals. Who had sent it? A moment's thought brought a single name to mind.

"Who are my peers indeed," he chuckled as one name also immediately came to mind. Perhaps a talk with young Knight Tanna would be best before thinking on the matter further. Hopefully she would be able to explain the medical side at least.

* * *

"The darkness hidden in the deepest pits will be brought to light and burnt away by faithful and loyal custodians. The black robes of the Vigiles will become symbols of justice and law. A Senate filled with the voices of each world will be formed, all voices will be heard. A Council will be chosen to guide this Imperium as paragons to look towards as examples - pillars of the community."

* * *

Maldorin stood leaning over his table, examining the plans for the next strike.

His Sergeant pointed at a building. "Here Sir. This is where they're stockpiling the weapons."

"Good, send scouts, make sure we have everything noted, I don't want any more mistakes."

Bridger spoke from his corner. "For the last time Maldorin. Enough. We should be heading back to Coruscant. The blockade's over. We can go home and get support. We can do no more here. The people are happy and they think we're terrorists."

"No. I won't stop until I scour the filth from this planet and then I can go after Jade."

"You have lost your path brother, remember who you are. Remember what you are."

"I have not forgotten! I remember clearly. Go if you wish, you are of no use here anyway. Your soft attitude is costing us victories."

Bridger sighed as he moved to the exit. Finding himself with only the door guard, he struck out and knocked the clone unconscious. Carefully he opened the door and turned to face the darkness, "I tried, but he will not listen, at least make it quick."

The Vigiles, Torin, stepped into the light. "I promise. You have done the right thing. Thank you."

Bridger sighed as he returned to the city streets, "That doesn't make it hurt any less."

* * *

"It is easy to see the problems, easy to speak of them. But it is hard to do the right thing, to actually do something, anything, about it.

No more. No more shall I simply fight as ordered. Now I shall lead as I have been asked and I will protect my people from all aggressors. The Imperium will stand tall as a beacon to others. We will show you what you can do if you choose to stand for what you believe in."

* * *

"Captain, all ships signaling stage three complete. We're clear of the station."

"Excellent. We're on schedule, install the navigation data and prepare the hyperdrive for the first jump. Sergeant, begin launching our guests back towards the station. In the escape pods if you don't mind."

"Yes Sir!" Looking up from his commlink, he turned, grinning at his squads. "You heard the man, these people all have important places to be, let's get them on their way!"

* * *

"We are not thieves; the material acquired from the CIS will be either returned or paid for in full at its current value, no more, no less. Any taxes owed to either side will be paid in full up to yesterday, again, no more, no less. Any trade agreements will be maintained until the start of the new galactic year, we will send envoys to renegotiate the contracts to be as close to the originals as possible in time for a fresh start as the year turns. We will not however maintain trade with our enemies.

We will allow an embassy to be constructed upon Eriadu for each of the major powers and any worlds which desire a direct link to us. We hope to be given the same in return on the capitals of the aforementioned factions."

* * *

With a sudden sharp crack and a wave of shrapnel and smoke, the doors to the warehouse splintered before exploding and driving the guards into cover. The strike team surged through the wreckage, rapid series of sharp pops echoing through the large building as the security was gunned down with swift and brutal efficiency. Each room swept and cleared until the building was secured.

The Squad Leader checked the pad against the crate markings and pointed towards a set. "Those ones. Get them all. Three minutes."

Checking his chrono, he grinned under his mask, infiltrating a secure facility and stealing this much refined cortosis, and getting away with it, was exhilarating. The Boss really did give him the interesting jobs.

* * *

"I have made a solemn vow. Know now that we will not accept any attack upon the people of the Imperium, our worlds or possessions. To any who would perform or order such an attack: no matter who or where you are, regardless of how long it may take to find you, we will come for you. To those who wish to be our friends, you will find none so faithful friends as us. To those who would bring harm to us, always remember that we will be just as faithful in such matters.

We do not desire war, but we will not roll over and let others dictate our future and our choices. The members of the Imperium have been tested, beaten, and bloodied by your war. We have grown stronger from the experience. As one unified people we shall stand tall and strong as a beacon in the dark.

There is no honorable way to kill and no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war, except that it ends.

Help me bring an end to this wasteful war."

* * *

Having drawn the short straw, the intelligence officer looked at his peers for a moment and then focused upon his superior. "Sir, we have noted something odd."

The tall figure didn't look away from the image before him, a galactic map showing a complex chain of missions across the known galaxy. "Speak."

"At last count, we have received twenty seven reports from various space stations across sectors of space. An irregularly large amount of ships have been reported as leaving their positions; returning to dock at stations away from the front lines."

A slight turn of the head showed his superiors interest. "Go on."

"Yes sir, each station is reporting a large number of vessels all arriving from different regions of space within a twenty minute period. Most of our space stations' facilities are too small to deal with such a large influx of ships at the same time and as a result many of the stations are being overwhelmed with supply and maintenance requests. Normally we would have presumed enemy espionage and forged orders to cause chaos before a large strike. However, We've crosschecked the orders given to the warships, but they all passed clearance. Even stranger, something really odd appears to be happening along the enemy lines."

The figure turned so he was looking over his shoulder at his subordinate.

Swallowing his nerves, he continued, "It appears that this is occurring in Sep territory as well. One of our agents has reported that exactly the same is happening at Sep supply stations. No-one is sure where any of these orders came from."

The tall figure turned back to the map before slowly clapping as he saw the issue. "Well played."

* * *

"Many of you are afraid. I understand, I truly do. I am afraid every day of my life. But courage is not the absence of fear. It is the belief that something else is more important than fear and doing your best to protect it.

Life hurts; it is full of pain and suffering. But we still live; we step forward and bear the burden. You will look to those around you, those you love and take some of their burden upon yourself. Each step is a victory against the dark, a candle lighting the way. Those you help will in turn help others, and they in turn will help more. Your small sacrifice will ripple across the cosmos and the stars will shine a little brighter.

Your strength comes from your faith in yourself and from those around you. Gather it, bring it to bear. Break the chains binding you, holding you down to the will of others and stand tall. Rise up from the ashes of your past."

* * *

Xora smiled at the reports coming in from across the galaxy. In one fell swoop, Sidious' grand schemes had been damaged and delayed. In some cases Harry had irrevocably destroyed them. The uproar of Harry's plans should give them the time their Imperium needed to secure themselves and throw everything into chaos. It would take weeks, if not months, to restore order to the old factions.

* * *

"To those of you who know me, you will have learnt by now that my every moment is dedicated to raising my people to the Golden Age they deserve. I will settle for nothing less, or I shall die trying.

To those of you who do not yet know me, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Evan Jade and, if you'll allow me, I'd like to change the galaxy."

With a last smile at his audience, the image ended with the bird once more before returning to the normal signals as if nothing had disrupted them.

* * *

Padme Amidala stared at the air where the image of Evan Jade had declared the new greatest galactic change in living memory. The Separatists had shaken the galaxy, but the sudden appearance of a new empire, powerful enough to stand up to both the Republic and the Separatists… That was a different scale entirely.

Silence gripped the Senate around her. Faint echoes began to rise as groups whispered amongst each other to discuss how this changed things. Missing Senators suddenly came under suspicion as to what side they were on.

She glanced at the Jedi Master who had been giving a report of their recent security drills as well as a proposal for similar measures to be performed at the senate itself. He was blinking in surprise and she watched his lips as he mumbled thoughts out loud, she could almost work it out, but it was too faint amidst the rising chaos. It looked like he was trying to work out why this action had occurred now. He quickly turned and left the chamber, forgotten in the pandemonium as the whispers became a rumble as voices raised in fear and confusion.

She quickly sent Anakin a message, she needed to speak with him and find out what he knew. More importantly, get him to hold her, to keep the nightmares at bay. This changed too much; it even shifted her own position in the senate. Naboo had likely been claimed as part of this Imperium, therefore she was no longer its Senator. Now she was just Padme Amidala – a senator in exile who had no real power or influence any more.

Bail's platform moved next to hers. He leant across, hiding his words with their bodies, "We need to talk. I'll gather the others in my office. We need to work out what this means for all of us. Did you have any warning? Any clue this was going to happen?"

"No! This is as new to me as it is to you Bail. What in the name of the Force is going on?"

"I don't know. But we need to find out before it's too late and this situation escalates even further."

* * *

The CIS Senate all sat there in shock, watching the speech end. Many looked to their neighbours, speechless and unsure of what would happen now. The missing Senators suddenly making much more sense now.

The Sluissi Senator slid forward in the confusion, his voice ringing out loudly to silence everyone else, "Cousins. I am here as the envoy of the Imperium. I hereby present a copy of the Accord struck to form the Imperium. Please accept this as the member world's declaration of allegiance to the Imperium and our resignation from your august ranks. Alongside this I present the evidence of select members of the Council's embezzling of funds. In addition there are the details of how the noted taxes and funds to cover military assets will be returned to you as promised. I have been assigned as the Imperium's Ambassador and as such, my staff and I will be available to begin negotiations with those affected by the change."

All eyes were on the ambassador as he placed three data pads on the central table before turning and leaving the chamber in stunned silence. As he left, a rising rush of noise rose up as the remaining Senators all began to whisper, then talk, and then shout over each other as they each demanded to know exactly how this could have happened and what it means for the War.

* * *

Darth Sidious sat there and stared at the holo image before him.

How? How had this been hidden from him?

He growled as his anger rose before being shackled under control, his eyes returning to their normal color. He was supposed to be in control of the situation, not some backwater hick with delusions of grandeur playing at games and imagining that he could take his place in the galaxy. This changed too much; years of intricate planning were ruined in a single moment. There was no way that he would be able to have an Empire. Now, if he tried to continue his plans, the galaxy would see him as a pretender, copying Jade's actions. His fists shook as he struggled to handle the sudden shift in… everything! That brat had changed everything!

He took a deep calming breath as he listened to the sheeps' cries of fear and confusion. He would need to weed out any spies from their ranks quickly.

Did Dooku know? Was this part of his plan? No. Dooku would not have been able to hide this from him. This was a separate plan, long in the works. Jade had worked beneath his notice for a long time, cultivating countless alliances and undoubtingly planning his downfall. He should have forced the boy's death years ago.

Never mind. Hindsight was always perfect but always useless. He could still fix that problem and still salvage this gigantic mess as well. He was still in control, not Jade.

He stood and opened his mouth to call the Senate to order and begin to clean up this mess when he stopped, his eyes widened as he realized something.

The little bastard stole his speech!

* * *

 **AN:**

Warsage: Thank you, it felt good to publish another chapter.

Rakaan: There was a rivalry to begin with which then grew to jealousy. They quickly began to hate him and fear him. Neither of them can comprehend that Harry has moved on and doesn't even think about them anymore, they have become part of the background to him. If they turned up he might settle a few old scores, but otherwise he doesn't really care. They believe that he's working against them; after all, it's what they would do in his place. Both also know that they are individually no match but it would require teamwork and trust to beat him, something which would require true desperation for them to even consider.

SSSra: Thank you. Now that Harry doesn't have that pressure on his mind, he is free to focus on his goals. Unfortunately, his goals and everyone else's don't always mesh well.

Blackholelord: It was indeed. Hopefully it won't be that long again in the future.

Thedwo: Thank you. I had a lot of trouble with the tales, I originally tried to do an epic saga style, but it didn't work for me, so I condensed it down to the basics. The Tales are meant to be rather ambiguous as to when they occur and with whom. As I have mentioned before its not going to be cloning occurring. A while ago one of my friends asked if I would do a sequel or just leave it at a single story. Thus I'm planting elements to build upon in a sequel should I go that far. I hope I do, but it depends on the muses if I get the right sort of inspiration. Magic is a primal aspect of the Force, or is the light and dark side a more civilized form of magic? That's up to the reader to decide.

Ronin Kenshin: Ventress is a survivor. She has her own plans.

Stars90: Thank you. I have the beginning and end for all the characters sorted for the most part, it's the middle that is fluid.

Lord of Carrion: I played with many forms of revenge, and that one was the most painful one I could think of inflicting on both of them. The formation of the new faction is a major shift in events as you can see. Sidious needs a reboot in most places rather than just adjustments.

Bearmauls: I am glad to hear that and I hope you enjoy it on the re-read. I sometimes have to read everything just to remember what I've put where and how. It felt a little clunky for me but I couldn't really get what I wanted down correctly. Basically he's afraid of what Sidious could do to Harry, or even worse, with him. he republic and the Jedi have the same problem as Dumbledore, they believe they are correct and everyone else needs guiding to the right choices, there's also no-one around to tell them that they are being idiots without immediately appearing to be an enemy of the status quo.

Davycrockett100: Thanks.

Vyoom: It's much closer but there is a reason why he arrived at that point at that time. HP will be shaken up, fear not on that front.

Black Magic99: Fear not on that front I absolutely despise the character, I just saw the theory and used it for a bit of amusement.

Neodova: That's always good to hear as a writer.

Indecisive Bob: Luna has appeared several times in several ways in the story. She did sacrifice herself to become the light to guide him home. It is also a slight answer to what my version of her is actually seeing in the HP universe. A few of the answers are given in this chapter. Each of the tales given will occur or have occurred. Thanks.

Orion0905: An interesting choice of characters.

BioHazard82: Thank you.

Guest: Thank you.

Tf330129: I will, fear not.

Starboy454: Thanks.

Himalay1729: Thanks.

Alex2909: It was building for a while, but I wanted it to be the right moment.

Sajuuk: Thank you. Things are in the works in the background on all sides of the conflict, whether they come into this section of the story or not is something else. Harry has no intention of building a Harem. I like wild.

Scarlett Woman: Dooku is a defining character of Harrys development, but every time I pulled him into the story he stole the limelight, so I keep having to force him to remain a support character. I may do a few side scenes when I have time to expand on their relationship, but as noted, time is rather scares for me at this point. She truly believes the republic is the best option, her blind faith is eroding but that takes time. I'm very proud of this work, but I am an amateur and still developing, I had to be reminded about that fact by one of my readers. Although he doesn't have the blood, he does have other samples. As for the idea of moving it, I think it's time for my first Poll. I hope you enjoy the story to the end.

Bluesnowman: Thank you.

Ahsanrox: It originally included a chunk of this chapter but I thought it had been too long since I last posted, so I split it to break the wait. More events in this one.

Meja9201: Thank you, I always enjoy hearing praise for my work and am proud you think so well of it. There are sections from the clone wars cartoon, some larger than others, but I try to develop the characters according to the altered events they've lived through. It shifts them slightly and in a few cases dramatically.

Separ: Thank you. Ventress isn't stupid but she is a survivor and sometimes you have to make bad choices. Betrayal is a very Sith thing to do as well.

Kelwin (Guest): In regards to the car, I believe that one has very little in electronics that would be messed up by the wards. And that's not to count what Mr Weasley did to the poor thing. Got an image of him in his garage during a thunderstorm yelling "Its Alive!" now. What wards there are and what they do is a brilliant area for fanfic writers as we can do what we like with it.

Guest: Thank you and I will.

Zeru'Xil: And more to come.

Penny is Wise: Thank you. Ventress maybe, Grievous less so.

Neon1311: Thank you. Aran is more of a support character for Elia, but we'll see how he develops.

Beloved Daughter: It's good to be back. Its not a final ending to them, but it's the bottom of their relationship.

Annoy Mouse: His blood reacts very nastily once away from him, the rest is much less reactive. Sidious has a few samples, most are damaged or ruined.

Guest: Thank you.

Guest: It is from the series. Unfortunately the shifting of viewpoints would be easier with the visuals, unfortunately that resource is lacking and I tend to think how the story would look as the chapter progresses. GRRM has each chapter told from the point of view of a single character resolving a single event. The same scene or parts of it may be shown from the viewpoints of multiple characters, it's hard to read at the start, but you can quickly get used to the style. Glad you are enjoying the story.

Mr Guy (Guest): Harry was influenced by Voldemort through the Horcrux in canon, the link between them, so I played with that idea a touch. That's fanfiction for you.

Guest: Thank you.

Shalifi: Thank you, I'm glad you are enjoying it. Dooku is building a plan, but he needs time and information he currently lacks.

Beatshield: Thank you.

Guest: Thank you.

Grovepjp: I don't know what you mean by that.

Guest: Thank you.

Guest: Thank you.

Drizzit855: Thank you, I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying it.

Ksecc1: Screwy logic, but it still makes me happy to know that you are enjoying the tale. The samples have their part to play, not much in this story but much more so in any sequel I write. Got to finish this one first though.

Guest: Thank you.

Guest: Glad you think so.

Guest: Thank you and I will do so.

PaC (Guest): Wow, that's a lot of reviews. I'm trying to answer chunks of your reviews rather than everything as it would just be too large to do. I take all criticism as useful and can see most of your points. I am an amateur and this is my first large piece, so I admit there are plenty of flaws. My version of Harry has twisted his saving people thing to saving those he cares about and those who try to do something. People die in war; he acknowledges that but still has trouble dealing with some of the things he's done. But each step gets easier for him. As for his HP enemies, a good number will have a very bad day when he starts dealing with them. There's also the fact that his orders have probably brought about more death than Grindelwalds did, and we're not finished yet. The toy referenced the ship for harry if memory serves me and as a warning for Dooku about his minions. Harry in that was blinding himself and naïve; he didn't want to think Dooku would do that to him. The Code of Two is rather dangerous; accidents can ruin the scheme completely. That's why most Masters tell each of their apprentices that they are the only ones, or trains them as a group and takes only the most suitable. Doubts are difficult things to resolve and Harry had plenty of them at that point. I've never covered my take on how Horcruxes truly work, but I have my version of the rules they follow. Nearly every choice Harry has made has been his own, either justifying it to himself or that little voice at the back of your head nudging you along. As for his darkest moments in the story, that's the path my story took as I continued writing, I make no apologies for the story. As for the number who gave up on reading it, that is entirely their choice and I am glad they even gave me a chance. My plan is currently to return harry during the summer before third year, although I may be tempted to go even further back, I will have to think on it a bit more. I do take sections from the series that I believe are important and shift them with events of my take on the characters as they develop. I didn't personally like the Mortis storyline, but I thought it a useful thing to keep and nudge. As for the Sluissi tales, they are indeed mine in full. As far as I am aware, nothing like them is in the canon. There were meant to originally be another couple, but it was too much, I liked those three the most for the story. I am glad that you liked them. In regards to the scene breaks, most follow their predecessors, a very few are at the same time. I dislike flashbacks in fiction, but can see them working more on a visual medium. Unfortunately events in the clone wars don't have a very accurate timeline. There is an order of events between two years, but that's pretty much it. Makes it very hard to make sure everything is in order. As for the Dumbledore parallels, it was brought up with Abaddon, still working on how that develops further.


	23. When a Butterfly flaps its wings

**Chapter 23 – When a Butterfly flaps its wings**

 **AN:**

 **First of all thank you for your votes in the poll, the results have been collected and as you may have already noticed, we are staying where we are.**

 **I apologise for the delay in updating, but real life has left me with very little spare time to work on this story. I also was of the opinion that when writing was like work, there was a problem, so I let it come to me when and where it would, and here we are, another chapter in the tale. Although, the next chapter should be no-where as long a wait as a majority has already been written.**

 **I also wish to thank 573 for being my 1500th reader to favourite my story. Thank you all for the support.**

 **Thank you again Divine-Faithborn for Beta'ing this. It would not be as good a story without their greatly appreciated help.**

* * *

Senator Bail Organa entered his office and took a deep breath. With a weary sigh, he allowed his façade, the illusion that he wasn't actually stressed beyond belief, to fall away for a few moments. In the privacy of his office, he allowed himself the luxury of a few minutes of silence in order to regain his composure. For a few moments Bail just sat, but all too soon he realized that there was an unopened letter on his desk.

Bail smiled as he looked over the manila envelope addressed from Alderaan. Even without reading who had sent it, Bail knew that came from his wife. It was very uncommon to send physical letters, given their impracticality in that they took so long to receive compared to their electronic counterparts, but his wife had always disliked how impersonal the electronic versions were. With a paper letter she could sign her name, apply a touch of her perfume, and seal it with a kiss.

Small things, but they meant the world to Bail.

His personal indulgence against his duty aside, Bail restored his and began to prepare for the evening's events. The galaxy may have stood still when Jade gave his speech, but now Bail and his fellow senators had to act fast lest the galaxy spiral into a chaotic descent of irreparable damage. Even now he only had about an hour to finalise the upcoming dinner meeting with his peers.

As he reached for his console, about to send senator Amidala a communication, he noticed something strange. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted something that didn't belong. A large box, more a crate really, stuck beside a table in the corner.

He was not expecting any deliveries.

Standing up and walking over to the crate, he carefully checked the outside. The marker showed that Security had cleared it, but better safe than sorry. These were dangerous times after all. A quick check with a scanner for explosives or toxins produced nothing.

With a raised eyebrow, he opened the box to find a well packaged ornamental vase.

"How strange…" Bail thought aloud as he lifted the large object out of the crate. There was something weird about it, but he couldn't quite figure out why he felt that way.

The angular and spiked black shape was not to his tastes and his fingers felt oily just touching it, but it was very well made. Another check of the sender information revealed that there was no return address to say who had sent it, the screen itself damaged somehow.

Shrugging, he was no technician, he performed a final scan for surveillance devices and once again finding nothing, placed it the corner of the room, out of the way. He'd mention it to his friends later; maybe they knew who it was meant for.

Five minutes later, he had completely forgotten about the vase.

* * *

Jedi Master Tera Sinube smiled as he took a seat in an empty diner and nodded to the bouncer at the door. The gruff and heavily scared gangster nodded with respect before slapping his much younger partner on the back of the head to do the same.

"I'm here to see a friend," whispered Master Sinube cryptically, "I'm sure he already knows that I am here."

As if on cue, an old Mirialan male limped into the spartan room; his cane clacking loudly on the tiled floor. He smiled and warmly greeting the Jedi Master, "Master Sinube! I hope you are here with business of a pleasant kind. No more packs of cannibal gangsters chasing you for an… acquired relic I hope?"

"No, no. Not anymore," laughed Sinube as he stood up to shake hands with his old friend, "The days of running for my life like that are behind me."

The Mirialan man laughed heartily before abruptly dropping his jovial smile and donning a mask of seriousness.

"So, Sinube, what brings you to my humble abode? I'd ask if it had anything to do with Evans and his stunt, but I'm pretty sure that I already know the answer."

Sinube sighed, shaking his head sadly. "Unfortunately I cannot tell you as it is official Jedi business, and this time it's actually Jedi business and not just a convenient excuse. I'm going to apologize for the brusque nature of my request but I'm going to need that ship and medical equipment I loaned to you.

"I don't remember it being loaned to me; I remember calling our debts even and me keeping the stuff."

"Of course, how remiss of me, I must have forgotten in all the trouble of the time. Especially with the missing jewellery the Senate Guards were searching for. Did they find any leads in the end?"

The crime lord snorted, "Bah, I should have known that you would say that, you old goat. Fair enough, I guess I still owe you for that one. Now will you actually explain why you need that medical equipment or should I just go ahead and write it off as stolen?"

* * *

Master Tera Sinube nodded politely to Senator Bail Organa as he entered the office of the senator.

"Master Jedi, how can Alderan help you?" asked Bail as he motioned the Jedi towards a low chair beside his desk.

Tera gave a small bow before taking the offered seat, groaning as his knees creaked with his age. "Senator Organa, thank you for your time. I will get straight to business as you are a busy man and the galaxy is in quite a bit of turmoil at the moment. Simply put, I require Senate approval to perform an inspection of the Kamino facilities. I have heard rumours that a group of Separatist sympathizers are planning something untoward there and wish to investigate the validity of these claims. With your aid I will be able to do so quietly without drawing too much attention."

Bail nodded sagely as he listened, an eyebrow raised in curiosity as he made eye contact with the Jedi. "Not to dismiss your request, but might I ask why you came to me for this request? I'm hardly the only person you could ask."

"Actually, you are the only person that I could ask." replied Tera sagely, "When the charter that created the galactic army of the republic was signed, you and a handful of other senators were assigned oversight powers as part of your responsibilities within the Senate. It is within your purview and could indeed be seen as a duty, to request such an investigation with full access for your assigned investigators. This is something which will continue for as long as you remain a member of the Senate or until you assign a successor of this role before you leave the post. Were you not aware of this?"

"I am well aware of my duties to the army of the republic as a senator, but I was not aware that I held such power. I apologize for being remiss in my duties, but that doesn't explain why I am the only person you can come to. Surely you could ask someone such as Senator Amidala or Chancellor Palpatine."

Master Sinube shook his head sadly, "Unfortunately Senator Amidala does not have such authority. She did not sign the Charter and in her place Representative Binks took any powers that might have gone to her. It is unfortunate, but he failed to complete the required documentation to authorize Senator Amidala as his successor in the role. Out of the entire Senate, there are only yourself, the Vice Chancellor and the Chancellor himself who retain such authority at this time. The rest have either retired, been replaced as senators, have joined the separatist's, are dead, or are missing."

"And so, with no other options, you came to me. You seek to avoid attention, so making such a request of the Chancellors office would gain too much attention." He nodded to the Jedi. "Very well, what exactly do you need from me? Also, how are you going to get there? The virus on the navcomputers is still causing disruptions."

Tera smiled, a data pad was set and pushed across the desk. "We are lucky that I had the foresight to prepare a few documents. As for transport, during my wild youth, I had an adventure or two where I had to learn how to manually input astrogation data. I also have a very old droid with the required nav data in storage; never know when things like that are useful. Between us, we should be fine. I have an old ship in storage, it should have missed the virus' spread and if I keep the comms down I shouldn't get infected.

Bail nodded and picked up the data pad, "In which case I would ask you to make a detour on route for me."

Tera waved a hand to signal Bail to continue.

"With all the chaos, it will be some time until I can return home; I would have you deliver a letter for me to my wife. She appreciates the personal touch."

"A closet romantic, Senator?" Tera chuckled for a moment as he pondered the changes he would need to make; it will be no problem to make the alterations. "I can do so as long as you inform them that I am on my way and that I will have no comms systems working on my ship. I would hate to catch that virus at an inopportune time."

Bail smiled at the Jedi in thanks before he then began to read through the official forms. In the silence, Tera's eyes swept over the room, freezing for a moment upon a strange black vase in the corner. "That is certainly an interesting vase, Senator, where ever did you acquire it?"

"Hmm? What vase?" Bail looked up to follow the Jedi's pointed walking stick, "Oh! I have no idea; it arrived during all of the chaos yesterday. It seems harmless enough, now excuse me but I must read these documents carefully."

Tera stood up as he walked over to the vase, motioning to it "May I touch it?"

"Hmm? Touch what?" asked Bail as he looked up from his documents. Sinube just stared at him for a moment before raising his finger and pointing at the vase. "Oh! That! I have no idea what it is. It arrived during all of the chaos yesterday. It seems harmless enough."

Master Tera Sinube watched in stunned silence as Bail Organa turned his attention away from the vase and back towards the data pads that he had given him earlier. After a short and awkward silence, Master Sinube coughed loudly to regain the senator's attention.

"May I touch the vase?"

"Hmm? Touch what?" asked Bail as he stared at Sinube. Again, the Jedi Master stared at him for a moment before raising his finger and pointing at the vase. "Oh! That! I have no idea what it is. It arrived during all of the chaos yesterday. It seems harmless enough."

"Senator…" asked Tera, "are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"… never mind…"

Taking the senator's peculiar actions as permission, Tera knelt down to observe the strange item. Examining the box; he found the blanked address screen. Attaching a small screen and diagnostic tool from his belt, he dug into the devices memory. It was corrupted, almost like two files were smashed together, quite a mess, but he could gather a few fragments. Removing those that reference Senator Organa and the security checks, left only two fragments. 'Office of the' and 'rek Se'. Nothing important alone, but together... There were very few locations within the Senate Building with Office of whatever, even fewer with Aurek class Security. Two immediately jumped to mind, The Office of the Vice Chancellor and the Office of the Chancellor.

Both were not good news, especially being so brazen as to have a Sith Relic be delivered to them in the open. Either they did not know, or they didn't care. Third option was that his new ally was making an almost subtle hint.

"There's nothing useful in these data files, but I'll pass the information to a few of my colleagues, maybe they can find something for you Senator."

"Hmm? Data files?"

"Nothing… nothing…"

Bail smiled as he nodded at the exasperated and perplexed Jedi, signing the documents and passing them back. "If there's anything else I can help you with, don't hesitate to ask."

Nodding politely, Tera frowned as he left the office and headed to the old warehouse where his ship was waiting for him. He would have to investigate that damned vase further at a later time; Hran could follow up on it for him. The Kamino facility was of more direct importance right now, the Sith in the Senate could wait for the moment, a few days would likely make no difference in the grand scheme of things.

"…It's almost like he kept forgetting that it was even there."

* * *

Sidious stared at the ruins of his sealed office. Nothing. No bugs, no surveillance devices, no hidden connections to his network, nothing hidden within the datapad, no unknown programs, no hidden viewpoints, no breaches of his security. Nothing. He had torn through his office and found absolutely nothing.

But if there were no breaches in security, then how did Jade get that damn speech?

He looked at his datapad on his desk. The system was unopened, still sealed under his unique security protocols and there were no sign of access beyond his own. Grumbling angrily, he linked the hard drive back to his equipment for another check. There had to be something that he was missing, something small that he was glancing over. No matter how skilled the hacker was, there was always a crumb of evidence left behind.

Minutes ticked by slowly as Sidious crawled over the data, pausing when he noticed a slight irregularity in the time stamps. A month ago, during an impossibly boring senate meeting, the damned Twi'lek Senator had waffled on for three hours to fillibust the days vote on slavery. He remembered that day clearly; there was no way that Sidious would have accessed this datapad in the middle of that Senator's speech under the eyes of the Senate. Definitely not on camera. And especially not for a thirty second block where he had apparently sent a message to another system.

Sidious's blood ran cold as the realization hit him like a speeder bike with a drunken pilot.

It was a data dump of every single file on the pad.

"Well that certainly explains things…" he mumbled to himself as he silent spat a curse at Jade. A security breach of that magnitude moved the measure of worry from annoying to dangerous and then again to critical and vital.

How could this have happened? Who could have accessed the draw in his desk within his sealed office without triggering a security breach?

Deep in thought, Sidious absently reached up from his desk to take the glass of drink from the waiting arms of his convenience droid. Then he froze for a fraction of a second.

The droid.

He quickly input the alert code on his new datapad for a breach of security and sent it to his agents. Most would relocate and hide before seeking to contact him. The rest, especially those which could not be moved, would clean up and remove any evidence. He frowned at the sheer loss of material this would cause. Over a dozen projects ruined. Unfortunately, he could only triage the situation. These projects had already been ruined months ago.

His mind spun as he quickly developed a plan of action and revenge. Jade had almost dealt him a mortal wound in the political arena, but Sidious would have his revenge.

"Bring me my lunch." He commanded the droid as if nothing was wrong. Then he silently turned off the cameras in his office.

"Yes Sir."

As the droid turned away, Sidious silently drew his emergency blaster pistol and snapped off a pair of shots. Two bolts destroyed its chest and neck, disabling the machine instantly. Looking around, and silently glad that no one had heard the blaster fire, Sidious quickly moved to the side of the room and carefully gathered the Force. He struck himself a few times with wreckage of the search, battering his body before splattering some of his blood around the room and over the droid before falling into a ruined bookshelf and knocking the shelf to the ground. With pained grunts he broke his fingers on his left hand one by one, before he then crawled to his desk, scratching and scrapping at the floor as he drug himself across the floor, to bloody his fingertips. When he got to his desk, he unlocked a hidden drawer with the force, taking a small explosive device in his hands.

"Jade, if you're listening to this…" he said aloud to the decimated room, secretly hoping that the bastard had left some other bug on the destroyed droid, "…Then you can go and fuck off. This is my galaxy!"

With a sadistic grin, Sidious once more donned the façade of Chancellor Palpatine. His grin turned into horror as he walked to the door that sealed his office, used the force to palm a silent alert on the underside of his desk, quickly activated the thermal detonator, tossed it back into the room, and then hobbled as fast as he could out of the blast radius.

A smile almost betrayed his face as he realised that this assassination attempt could be used even further for his plans. By playing Jade as an assassin, he might even be able to salvage a few more plans than expected. In fact, he could even gain greatly from this if events were nudged correctly.

"BOMB!"

* * *

"I am on route now."

Hran nodded at Tera's image. "Excellent, keep us updated, we'll link up through the secure commline once you're accessing the network. Knight Tanna will be waiting to cover the medical side of things; we have the volunteer being prepped as we speak. I'll run interference with the Jedi Council. Any difficulty in the astrogation systems?"

"No, I did most of it myself with my droid, hard linked them together and made sure neither could access any commlink. Keep an eye on the top ranks of the Senate, I have reason to believe that our mutual friend is suggesting we look in that direction for the Sith."

"Oh, how do you know?"

"Do you know of anyone else who would alter the delivery of a Sith relic to look like an accident in such a manner as to implicate the two highest ranked members of the Senate?"

"True. Senator Organa?"

"A Sith vase is currently residing in his office and he is currently oblivious to the fact that it even exists. Every time I raised it to his attention, he immediately diverted away from it as though compelled by something unseen. I have sent you a copy of my findings from checking the packaging, you should receive them soon. Oh, and don't forget to pay the girl; her mother could really do with the meds that the money will buy."

"That vase sounds strange; I shall look into it further when I can. Good luck, may the Force be with you."

"And with you." Hran looked at the empty space where the image of Sinube had been. He chuckled to himself as he muttered a question long vexing many of the Jedi Masters, "How does he know all these people?"

* * *

James was about to close the link to the Jedi library and finalise his preparations when he caught the sight of an odd file.

Bringing it forward, he examined it and curious, took a risk by opening it.

The file was a personal journal of research nearly four hundred years old. Placed into general storage when the researcher suddenly died in his bed within the Temple. The file had been buried under a large queue of similar documents and just left alone as more important records kept arriving. The research was about a hidden war, one in which both the Jedi and Sith fought together against a great and mutual enemy. An enemy who altered reality at will as if the laws of physics were a child's toy. There was no name for the people or worlds involved, all records purged of such details as if afraid of saying the words. The largest fragment of the notes was a report on the conflict by a Jedi Healer.

The Anathema War.

He began to quickly scan the material, noting that there was little that linked sections, unless you were aware of the bigger picture. Snippets and fragments of other journals and reports from Masters to Padawan's involved in the war. A few reports from the Antarian rangers supporting the Jedi added to it. They all referred to beings capable of changing reality around them, a threat so great that the Jedi allied with their worst enemies to defeat them.

The journals held other fragments; the Jedi who recorded it had been searching to make his mark in history and hoping to open eyes to history long forgotten. The final key to his search had actually been his first clue, in a report from the War against the Eternal Empire held by Republic intelligence, a piece of throw away data that he had been assigned to review by his Master as a Padawan whilst clearing some of the backlog in the library.

There was a report, millennia old now, of a world found by scouting drones, but dismissed as errors. The world had been skimmed by a drone which detected the barren and dead world below as a lush and vibrant Garden World in the same period of time. A period recorded twice on the same scan, overlapping one another. The record stated that, instead of twelve worlds on entry to the system, now only detected eleven on its exit.

The world was in a currently uncharted region, filled by a great and violent Nebula, one containing a thousand possibilities refined using the information from the fragments gathered.

James pondered the information; it seemed odd to have come across such data as luckily as this. However, could he afford to ignore the opportunity? The report of the system reminded him of stories of magic told by Father. If he and his brothers used the navigation landmarks referenced elsewhere, they would have a much greater chance of finding this planet than previous explorers.

Making his decision, he transmitted the records before he returned his attention to his other project.

Thanks to the Jedi's finances, the final transactions were going through for the mining operation - an asteroid mined hollow and empty of anything worth the effort was soon going to be his. A collection of small transport vessels had already been acquired alongside holonet systems and droid crews for them. Soon a web of mobile commstations would span the galaxy allowing him to communicate with anyone he wished. The hubs would give him a shield against discovery and records of an empty mine would be forgotten about. Any surface scans would find a rock without life support, no lights or systems active.

Why bother investigating a dead rock. Even if they did, there would be nothing there, a dead end. He would be safe in a different location using the mine as another layer of protection. A decoy beneath a façade beneath a field of alternative choices.

A beep pinged across the spy network, interrupting his thoughts.

Ah, Sidious had discovered his spy, pity. But it was too late; the network was already in place and spreading. As soon as Fathers virus ended, the rush to get away from here would spread his net across the galaxy, soon enough, his information network would be supreme.

"Jade, if you're listening to this… Then you can go fuck off. This galaxy is mine!"

Wait… What?

* * *

Bail Organa sat across Mon Mothma and Padme Amidala at a table in a private senate meeting room, "So this happened without any warning, nothing at all?"

Amidala rubbed her eyes, heavily tired of recent events. "No, Mon, nothing. The first time I was informed of anything happening at all was during the speech. I've checked the documents they've provided. Apparently there had even been a full and open vote on Naboo as to what they wished to do, They just didn't tell me anything. Mon, the people have spoken; we were just the last to be informed."

Mon Mothma leant back, "Do you know if they will elect a new Senator for Naboo for this new Imperium of Jade's? Or perhaps will they recall you instead?"

Amidala looked at her friend with a forlorn smile, "I've been informed that my position has been temporarily shifted. For now, I am to act as an ambassador for Naboo in the Republic's senate. Other than that, my status and political protection have not been changed. They are sending someone to 'assist' me in redefining 'our' position in 'your' senate. Should I decide that I wish to guide Naboo in Jade's Imperium, I may leave and become Naboo's Senator there at any time."

Bail leant forward, resting his chin on his hands with his elbows on his knees. "Will you?"

Amidala snorted impolitely before sighing deeply, "No, I have no desire to do so. I'm loyal to the ideals of the Republic and while it may have its flaws it's still the best option and hope for true peace. No matter how he spins it, the Imperium will still only answer to one man, not the people. I'm not sure I trust that man with that much power."

Mon raised an eyebrow and leant towards her. "Perhaps you could use this situation to the benefit of the Republic? You could learn a great deal of information whilst helping the Republics cause."

"No, I could never do that. I may not agree with my world's decisions but I will not betray them or their trust."

Mon chuckled. "Sometimes, my dear, I wonder how you are still alive and in politics. You are too noble for your own good. Always willing to believe the best in people, save a few rare examples of course. I admire it, but I cannot be like that. Anyway, I shall sound out a few old friends, see what they can tell us. I suggest you two do the same. I know the new Emperor has talked with you in the past, perhaps he will again? You could even have that Padawan that you are friends with act as an intermediary for you if you would rather not have direct contact."

Amidala sighed as she nodded. "I'll talk to a few others. We need more information before things escalate out of hand beyond any recovery. We all know that the more militant factions will shout for this new power to be brought to heel, they will say our enemy is weak and has fractured."

"Padme, things have already escalated beyond control." countered Bail motioned towards the city outside as Amidala's droid poured them drinks, "People will be hungry soon and the rush to buy all the food they can has already begun. Relief convoys have been redirected here to mitigate what we can, but it's just putting more ships in orbit to wait until this virus is cleared from the systems. There is also the Mandalore event to consider, Jade was there and apparently in full support of the Separatist's, this sudden change doesn't feel right."

Mon chuckled at their naiveté. They were so honest; it amazed and amused her so much. "Of course not, he's been playing things behind the scene waiting for the moment to initiate his plans. The formation of a new superpower within days? No, this took months to organize, if not years. What amazes me is that no-one outside the conspiracy saw it coming. My brother was most impressed."

Bail chuckled as he saluted her with his glass, "High praise indeed from the Director of Republic Intelligence."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of an explosion ripping through the senate halls.

* * *

Across the galaxy, two people worked in relative peace from inside of a secured military ship. The green and grey world beneath them spun in a silent display, the window framing it almost perfectly. From his humble and relatively Spartan desk, Harry gave Xora a baleful glare as she dumped a small mountain of data pads on his desk.

"If I had known that there would have been this much paperwork, I would have let someone else rule instead." grumbled Harry as the pile scattered into disarray, ruining any semblance of order.

Xora smiled at him, "Oh hush, you've only had your imperium for a few days. Your ministry is still being organized to deal with these decisions. In a few weeks, you'll only have the important matters to deal with rather than every tiny detail. Would you like a straw?"

"A straw?"

"So you can suck it up and get back to work?"

"…I just hate signing things." groused Harry with an audible sigh as he absentmindedly rubbed his wrist, "It brings back bad memories."

Xora snorted in amusement at his whining, "Is the big bad Emperor afraid of a bit of wrist cramp? Well, don't worry. If your wrist gets sore I'll kiss it better tonight, so stop whining and…"

The door burst open as an aide rushed in with a secure datapad. "Your Imperial Majesty! You need to see this."

Harry used a trick of the force to summon the pad from the man's hand, opening the file as Xora waved the aide away. The screen showed an obviously flustered and upset Twi'lek news reporter who shakily smiled at the camera before speaking.

"This is Esmila Ranto of Coruscant Holo Net. Breaking news has just come in from the republic senate. We have reports of a terrorist attack on the office of the chancellor himself. Information is sketchy, but we have confirmation that an explosion has occurred. There is… One moment please," The Twi'lek reporter paused for an instant, reading some new information from an off-screen source. "We have received new information. We can confirm that Chancellor Palpatine has been hurt in the attack but is alive and is expected to make a quick and full recovery. I've just been informed that Captain Zackery and Admiral Tarkin are about to speak to the waiting crowd."

The image shifted to a view of a crowd standing around the podium before the Senate where Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin stood in his sharply edged naval uniform, his rank insignia almost shining with how new and polished they were. He stared down at the crowd for a few moments before he began to speak.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen of the republic, I am here to inform you that Chancellor Palpatine is alive and currently in the capable hands of Republic Security. The finest medical specialists have been brought in from across the planet and are pleased to report that Chancellor Palpatine will make a full recovery."

"I am here to report that this terrorist attack is an act of cowardice and has made no changes to current military actions of the Galactic Republic. Each day, the Grand Army of the Republic frees more worlds from the tyranny of the Separatists. Every day we are a step closer to ending this conflict and restoring peace to the galaxy."

"I have spoken with the Chancellor in person after the attack and he has let me know that his resolve will not falter. He will complete his promises to the people of the Republic. He just hopes you will forgive him for not making the statement in person. I will now pass you across to Captain Zackery of the Senate Guard."

Tarkin nodded respectfully to the crowd and stepped to one side allowing the captain to take his position at the podium.

"Thank you Admiral." acknowledged Captain Zachary as he nodded his head to Tarkin. With one measured movement he took a deep breath and fully stepped onto the podium, speaking directly into the numerous microphones ready to capture his words. "I am here to update you as to the events that occurred and to inform you of our current findings. Please be aware that all of this information is preliminary and subject to change at any time. More information will become available following wartime protocol as our investigations continue. At this time no-one has come forward to claim responsibility of this act of terrorism."

Captain Zachary paused for a moment as his words echoed through the crowds. "Here are the facts as we know them. At thirteen hundred hours, local time, an assassin droid disabled the cameras and locked access to Chancellor Palpatine's office. Over the next five minutes, it proceeded to brutally torture the chancellor for military secrets for its master. During a lull in its interrogation, the Chancellor managed to heroically disable the assassin droid, taking further injuries in the attempt. At this point an explosive was primed within the droid as a failsafe. The Chancellor ran to escape the explosion, pushing his secretary out of the blast zone before him, saving her life and the lives of three others at great personal risk."

He took a deep breath before continuing, "Our initial investigations have found that the droid was constructed on Sluis Van within the last three months; Sluis Van is currently inside of territory of the unrecognized separatist organization led by the war criminal Evan Jade. The data fragments we've been able to recover so far are similar to the droid programming from the military droids used in the southern campaign. According to Chancellor Palpatine, the questions asked by the droid focused upon the southern region of the galaxy. I have no further information to supply at this time, and would like to remind everyone that General Jade's separatist party is not formally recognized by the republic at this time."

With a nod of respect to Tarkin, he left the podium to return to his work.

Tarkin returned to the podium. "I have one last thing to say at this time. Captain Zackery has offered the Chancellor his resignation for his failure to protect him. The Chancellor refused to accept it. Chancellor Palpatine sees it less of a failure of Senate Security and more a failure by the cowards who attacked. The Military and I are in full support of the good Captain and will provide him with every resource he requires to bring these villains to justice."

Harry looked up to meet Xora's eyes as the clip ended. "Well the accusation was as subtle as a lightsaber to the face, did you send anyone?"

Xora shook her head, "No. If you wanted that bastard dead, you'd do it yourself, I wouldn't interfere with that. I take it that you didn't actually send anyone to kill him?"

"Not to my knowledge, no." replied Harry as he brought out his personal data console and began to type rapidly, "This is as much a surprise to you as it is to me."

Harry browsed through his communications logs, about to send James a message when Harry instead received one from James. Harry quickly read through the typed information, before playing an attached video file aloud to the room.

Xora's jaw dropped in shock as Sidious rampaged through his office, throwing destruction and havoc everywhere in a rampage. As the Chancellor walked in and out of the camera's viewing angle, his curses and words of anger could be heard echoing through the room. Then the man paused and directly addressed his political opponent.

Harry broke out into a barely contained laughter. "Oh that's cute." laughed Harry as he wiped an imaginary tear from his eyes." I do believe that Sidious is taking the theft of data rather personally. I've just been told to fuck off."

Xora frowned, recovered her composure, and then shouted at harry, "You need to take this seriously! The blame being put on you will hamper our efforts. This could cause us endless problems. If Sidious gets away with this, he could use your name for his own plans within the Republic. If the Jedi investigate such matters, they may blame everything on you."

"It's not like we can't just send this video to the Jedi council," replied Harry without missing a beat, his mischievous smirk undermining the seriousness of the situation. Then, with a sudden shift his smile disappeared and was replaced with a cold and calculating frown. "But that's too easy. If he wants to stage assassination attempts and blame it on me then we should actually give him something to worry about. Reassign Anhur and a dozen of your best agents to build a cell on Coruscant. Have them start hunting Sidious' agents."

Xora frowned but nodded, "I'll send Heka as well. I want them to have as much backup as we can manage."

* * *

The clone troopers all stood to attention as the old Jedi Master Tera Sinube shuffled down the ramp onto the docking platform. As soon as they passed the airlock the sergeant stepped forward saluting.

"My apologies General Sinube, General Shaak Ti is currently indisposed, please wait here until she is free." His tone was polite but forceful as he motioned to a side room with chairs.

"As much as it would please me to wait, I have urgent business for the senate and little time." Replied Tera Sinube as he subtly pressed a button on a wrist device beneath his robes. With a silent electronic pulse, the virus stored inside immediately began its work. It quickly cut into the communications network of the clones, navigating through the electric channels as it made its way into the security station. There it lie in wait until he needed it. "If you could show me where the data archives are then I can immediately get started and, when Master Shaak Ti becomes available, I can speak with her on the matter later."

The guards looked at each other as the Sergeant hesitantly responded, "I'm not sure if we're allowed..."

Master Sinube smiled as he interrupted the clone sergeant, using a subtle trick of the force to assist in his persuasiveness. "There's no harm in visiting the data archives. Of course, Master Shaak Ti's business with the Jedi Council is more important than my Senate authorised investigation into a possible sabotage attempt on the clone production to turn it against the Republic." Tera pointed towards a seat in the corner. "I'll just wait here shall I?"

The sergeant balked beneath his shiny white armour, "Actually, sir, let me show you to the archives."

* * *

Tera and his escort entered the tall chamber at the heart of the facility. Inside the almost cavernous building, banks of data storage rose up to a high and armoured ceiling where dull lights shone. Inside these archives stood countless records and classified documents in regards to the clones' anatomy, the cloning process, and their training. Even further, countless secrets vital to the Republic's war efforts were secured in this room. As such, only the few people with the absolute highest level of security clearance were supposed to have access.

Jedi Master Tera Sinube did not have that security clearance, but his clone escorts didn't need to know that.

His breath turned to mist in the cold air as he smiled at the clone. "Thank you sergeant, you have been most helpful."

"Don't mention it General Sinube." nodded the clone sergeant as he saluted the general, "Seriously, I would appreciate it if you never mentioned that little incident earlier to anyone. I would like to actually join my brothers on the front rather than be a guard here. We'll be outside to make sure you're not disturbed; and I'll knock when we have news on General Shaak Ti. If you need anything else just call for us."

"Once again, thank you sergeant."

Watching the door close, he once more triggered his wrist device and smoothly moved over to activate the console. He silently counted down from ten, and when he reached zero, he got to work. He pulled a small device and cables from his belt, plugging them into the console, and soon he had a hologram floating above the small box. Then he donned a pair of interface gloves and quickly got to work; His fingers smoothly manipulating the data that hovered in the air.

"So, my dear console, what secrets are you hiding?"

* * *

"Prime Minister?"

Lama Su looked up from his paperwork, the daydream of an intensive research project into replicating the Rakghoul Plague fading. In front of him stood one of his assistants. "Yes?"

"A Jedi has arrived, it is Master Tera Sinube. He is on route to the archives."

"He's early... I expected him in two months, ah well, no matter. Let him look, prep the countermeasures. Let's bait the waters properly, the moment he discovers anything important, alert the clones, and use Captain KR-5864. We shall see if the Jedi matches his reputation. Oh and get me Count Dooku on the Holonet."

* * *

Connecting a transmitter to his device, Master Sinube keyed in the security sequence to connect with his allies.

"Scalpel, this is Ghost. Are you receiving me?"

Knight Tanna's voice came through smoothly. "Code names? Seriously?"

Tera nodded even though she could not see it, "Indeed. An old habit of mine and useful for operational security. I presume Warden is active?"

"Huh? Oh! Yes, Warden is active; you have a few hours before you're likely to be interrupted."

"Good. I'm transmitting the medical records now."

"I'm getting them… nice and clean... Okay. The medical records are clear, there's no obvious tampering but several sections are sealed. I'm looking through the documents now, but there's no sign of any… wait here it is I found something…"

"Scalpel?"

"Hold on, I'm reading it now. Apparently this bio-chip that we were told about is a failsafe meant to prevent inherent behavioural patterns from the genetic source from becoming an issue. That sounds a little strange, but would be skipped by those without the correct knowledge."

"Who put it in them?"

"It says that the chip was requested by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas after initial field tests. Strangely enough, Kamino doesn't make these chips. They're made by an independent producer of biotech for security. I wish I could tell you more, but anything past that is sealed by the Kaminoan Senator and the Kaminoan Prime Minister. We would need both to give vocal passwords and biometrics to unlock the sealed sections."

"Pity, I had hoped there would be a direct link. Keep looking; I'll search out the source. Hmm... Alternate path would be... money. Follow the money. When is the chip implanted?"

"Let's see, latest batch to reach decanting stage, no the chip is already present. Completion of Embryo growth, no. Stable grade of embryonic growth. Got it. Okay, so when was the last batch installed? Material implanted on the... seventeenth of this month."

Tera's fingers were a blur as he triggered program after program to access the sections he required. "I shall be talking out loud for the recording in case we need to retrace my steps. Compare to shipping manifests moving back a week. Here. An unmarked shuttle with top class security clearance landed for twenty minutes before launching once more. Bay seventeen. Accessing Security logs. Security feeds have been sealed."

"Okay," continued Tera, "follow the facility map, where would they have gone to deliver the cargo? Approximating ten minutes for unloading material, half the time there and back, so five minutes at a steady pace. Reduces the region to this area around Bay Seventeen. There, cold storage right next to the production line. Huh, not very subtle, the route's records are sealed for the same period of time as the bay. This is the one. No flight plan logged but there is a blackout of flight control for about ten minutes on either side. The bays droids would automatically refuel the vehicle, standard procedure and easily forgotten about. Check the fuel storage levels before and after the shuttle. Good, the fuel usage suggests a standard cargo shuttle. Are you still listening?"

"Yes."

"Presume an extra minute of flight time was given for safety, a vessel of that class and size means the origin of its flight was in this region. Okay, so no official records. Therefore... weather satellites. Here we go. Check the date, and here we have the times in question. There it is. Okay, recheck system traffic control for that region and the list drops to three vessels. Compare its silhouette... here we go. The Hawk's Shadow. Unusual name. Check Home's records for the vessel, likely a smuggler ship. I shall continue on my end."

After a minute Elia's voice came back over the link. "Ghost, there is no record of a ship with that name."

"What do you mean?"

I mean there is no record of a ship named 'The Hawk's Shadow' at all. Unless there are records that we can't access from... Home… then that ship does not exist."

"And yet it does. Did you check all of the records or just the current ones?"

"There's nothing in the last fifty years."

As Elia was talking, the display finally showed the name of the company which hired the ship. Tera raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Try checking... fifty seven years ago, around the borders of Hutt space nearest Tattooine."

"Rather particular there aren't... huh. Found it. One of three ships owned by... Oh kriff. That isn't good. I have a photo of the captains and their crews. Okay... That's definitely not good. And what are you doing there?"

"Not my best photo, but we were both young and foolish back then. So, Dooku is providing the bio-chips. Interesting."

"There is an odd story there; you will have to tell me about it later. Maybe after we figure out why Dooku is still supplying the medical chips to the cloners."

"I will, once I have the opportunity. The official records are rather watered down but hold the core facts and the not so embarrassing details. I at least know where I need to look next." A flash of warning rippled across his senses. "Ah."

"Ah? why ah? Ah isn't good."

"I believe I've tripped a silent alarm. I will need to disappear for a little, keep safe and update Warden when you can."

He cut the link before she could respond. With great practice, he swiftly cleared the evidence away and glanced over the room - in the corner was an air vent that he could use for his escape. A tug of the force forced the bolted cover loose and then he tore off a thin strip of his robe, placing it on a sharp edge of the metal. Returning to the door, he sank into a trance and levitated himself over the doorway to wait.

Less than thirty seconds later, the door fragmented open and the clone troopers swept into the room, their blasters firing rapidly into the room and flooding it with stun bolts. They expertly weaved overlapping fields of fire with trained precision, sending shots in such a pattern so as to be impossible to defend against. They continued to volley the room for a good ten seconds, stopping only when their captain signalled for them to pause. His fingers pointed to the torn panel and the air vent beyond, a pair of troopers quickly moved to investigate.

Behind them Tera floated back to the ground and silently exited the room. The voice of the captain echoing slightly down the corridor. "Team three track him down in the vents, team two secure this room, don't touch anything, team one will secure his vessel. I shall inform the General about the spy."

* * *

The Jedi Council was in disarray as the leaders of the order sat in delegation. It was rare for the council to speak out of turn, and even rarer for it to devolve into a shouting match. For the council to be in such chaos spoke volumes of Jade's actions

"We should have executed him when we had the chance!"

"Master Kolar, control yourself." Spoke Master Kcaj in a strained tone as leant forward in his chair, "Anger will not solve our problems."

"Control myself? I am controlled!" responded Kolar loudly, "Many of you agree with me. We all saw the danger he presented to the galaxy but the vote was to contain him until the war ended. And now, because we failed to kill him we must deal with a new faction and an attempted assassination on the Chancellor. We are just lucky that the chaos he brings in his wake has distracted the Senate from our own failings. I can only imagine how they would react if they actually knew the truth of our actions."

"Hindsight is useless; no amount of it will change our current situation." Interjected Ki-Adi-Mundi. "All that we can do now is restore order to the senate and sweep our involvement with Jade under the rug. At the very least, Jade has never claimed to be a Jedi in his past – We can deny any involvement with him."

Master Kenobi's image leant forward. "Regardless of how we squabble about Jade, we must prepare our actions for the future. We must confirm our allies amongst the Senate and outside, many of them will be wavering in their faith in us. They need to know we are still strong and capable of upholding our duties."

From his seat at the side of the conversation, Master Hran sighed, "The biggest issue is that the food supplies on Coruscant are beginning to dwindle. How long will it be until hunger starts to set in when the food supplies don't arrive? We'll be cutting it close to riots and civil unrest at the end."

Master Kolar grimaced as he put his hand on his chin, "This hunger will be useful to him and extremely troublesome for us. Will we be called in to supress the innocent now? In the end we made our choice with Jade, the wrong choice in my opinion, and the galaxy has paid for it."

Master Hran shook his head sadly, "He was too tempting a target to ignore. I am honestly surprised we didn't have more visitors fighting in our halls. I will take it all as a blessing in disguise, we took very few loses and those still injured will recover in full. Now we are much more aware of Dooku's current skills and abilities, even his new ones. Additionally, we have recordings of Jade in combat – something that we did not have before. We can learn from this evidence and grow in preparation for the future. We have increased and adapted security, we are better prepared for next time."

From his holographic image, Master Kenobi rubbed his beard, "I disagree. Assuming all this chaos was Jade's command, and we have no reason to think otherwise, then he can strike anywhere and any when he desires. His virus has crippled our mobility and his attack on the Chancellor has shown his ruthlessness. This was a warning; I imagine it will be the only one we will get."

Master Kolar sneered at Kenobi, "Unlike you, I am not afraid of him."

Master Windu finally entered the conversation. "Neither am I Master Kolar, but I am wary of facing him once more. He is a skilled duellist and his abilities make him extraordinary dangerous. Count Dooku was a challenge, but one I overcame. Jade, on the other hand... Jade is a different matter altogether."

Whilst the others reeled in surprise at the danger implied in the comment, Master Kolar ignored it and continued his rant. "So we do nothing?! Are we to let him rampage unchecked across the galaxy? Bringing ruin to the Republic?"

Yoda's voice cut like a razor through Master Kolar's words. "No. Prepare we will. Know he exists we do. Know many abilities we do. Defeat him we can. Need to? I know not. Investigate we should before acting further."

Master Shaak Ti's image spoke, finally finding the proper place to voice her opinion, "I concur with Master Yoda, we should send scouts to try and get through the new Separatist borders. We need to investigate as much as much as possible and formulate a coherent plan. Jade's words suggest he has no interest in expanding his already defined borders. His actions, less so. It is likely he lacks the manpower and materials necessary to expand, but we cannot be complacent. It is far better to have too much information than not enough. I do not wish to be the example he will provide to the rest of the galaxy should we cause an incident. I can..." She paused, turning to one side, listening to someone outside the comms scanners. "Apologies. I will return shortly. An urgent matter has arisen."

Yoda tapped his cane against his chair, "Recess, we shall. Cool our tempers, we must. Cloud our minds, anger does."

* * *

James packaged his copy of the transmission from the Jedi and sent it to Father. Information was power and he wished Father to have all the information he could need. The last of his couriers were leaving and the funds diverted to the relevant accounts. His shell companies were running and in place. All in all a good place to be.

Feeling oddly empty, he began reviewing the files on Master Tera Sinube.

Here at last was a worthy opponent in his games. Sinube was a man who could see as he saw, and he would be able to challenge James.

Something flared deep within him, examining it carefully he pondered its name.

Was this... excitement?

* * *

Master Shaak Ti observed the security recording of Tera Sinube simply typing at the console before him. Frowning slightly, she restarted the recording. There, it was a loop. Turning on the spot, she focused herself on the captain.

"Good work on discovering him accessing those records. He should not have been in there."

"What are your orders General?"

"Given all the chaos we've had in the last few days, it's better to be on the safe side. People we thought allies became enemies overnight, and it would not surprise me if he has chosen to do the same… Do not secure his vessel, disable it completely. Close down the airspace and send up fighters to patrol, I don't want anything leaving this planet. Place this facility on a quarantine lockdown. Sweep the structure in full using three waves of soldiers with bio scanners; do not leave any space unchecked. General Sinube is dangerous; if you see sign of him, fall back and secure the access points to the section and those surrounding it before calling me in. Ideally I'd like to question him to understand why he was inside that area."

Lama Su nodded sagely from his position to one side. "Did he access anything vital?"

"Not that we are aware of." replied Shaak Ti as she pointed to the image of the console, "He somehow accessed the security feed in moments and had a loop playing. We have no idea what he was looking at without thoroughly checking every single one of the records. We can..."

"General!" shouted a clone trooper as he rifled through data on a console, "there's something here. I found a file on the consoles desktop, it looks like..."

"No! Stop! Don't…" She shouted before the words died in her mouth. All around her the lights flickered on and off in random fashion before shutting down for good.

"Sorry… I got a little overzealous." the clone admitted in the black room. At least he had the decency to feel ashamed of himself.

Neither noticed the smirk accompanied with a rare flare of amusement in the Kaminoan Prime Minister's eyes as he watched them act just as he had predicted.

Pitiful.

* * *

Tera silently skulked around the edge of the docking bay; the clones on guard would be oblivious to him whilst he cloaked himself in the Force. Still, he was cautious because the ability, while useful against most eyes present, would do nothing to the men watching from behind the cameras. With that in mind, he quietly made his way, careful to avoid detection.

A flicker in the lights caught the attention of a pair of nearby clones which allowed him to make the last stretch undiscovered. He didn't dare break from his concentration as he silently climbed up the ladder to his escape ship.

It was a lucky blessing that the clone troopers had not yet identified this ship as his. They may have impounded his original starship, but he had left this one here years ago and never bothered to return back to get it.

Taking a moment to ensure that he wasn't walking into a trap, Master Sinube quickly sealed the vessel and readied the engines from their idle. Then he climbed into a special pressure tank and prepared himself for the uncomfortable sensations which would soon follow. Just as he attached a breathing cable to his mouth, his ship's engines roared to life.

Within moments, the ship was flying at a dangerous velocity and soon rocketing into space. Patrolling snub fighters attempted to intercept him, but his ship was too fast for them. In a second his ship had already cleared the atmosphere and was continuing to gain velocity.

The fighters following him were amazed at the sheer speed held within such a pile of junk. As the closest fighters gained target locks, the vessel suddenly surged forward even more, gaining even more speed in its desperate escape attempt.

The alert claxon rang out through the liquid; a pair of homing missiles had been fired. Sinube silently cursed to himself, but could do nothing as the preprogramed escape protocol continued to run. All he could do was watch a nearby warning display.

The missiles were rapidly closing on him.

One thousand meters and closing…

Five hundred meters and closing…

One hundred meters and closing…

Impact in two seconds!

Impact in one second!

Sinube gripped his restraining belts as his ship lurched forward then went still. At the very last moment, a split second before the missiles destroyed his vessel; he had made the jump to the safety of hyper space.

"That was too close…"

As soon as the droid signalled the all clear, Tera climbed from the tank and coughed before collapsing to the ground in a heap. The master felt his bones ache and his organs throb at the experience he had just undergone; even with the tank and its contents he had still experienced far more pressure than was supposedly survivable. His body ached as his nerves tingled and he had to fight to get back to his feet.

He really disliked those sensations.

Grabbing a hose from next to the chamber's door, he washed himself clean of the foul gel from his flesh. The cold water quickly cleared his head as he recollected his thoughts over the whole situation he had just escaped from. He was tired from the ordeal, shaking from the physical exhaustion and reeling from the knowledge that the clone troopers were a trap waiting to be sprung.

Still, he couldn't help but smile as he ran through recent events…

He hadn't felt this young in years. Finally, a challenge!

* * *

The image of Jedi Master Shaak Ti stood tall and sure, a posture she used only when she was the bearer of bad news. "Members of the council. I regret that I must report that we believe Master Tera Sinube infected the archives of Kamino with a computer virus. Initial investigations show that it wiped specific files before corrupting those around them. The whole situation is a mess and the damage will take years to clean up. Luckily we managed to quarantine the virus before it spread into more important sections."

Obi-Wan's image leant forward. "How bad is it?"

Shaak Ti sighed before steeling herself once more. "We found remnants of a program which we believe would have turned every clone trained after that point into a sleeper agent for Master Sinube's own interests and we wouldn't have known until they were triggered with the code."

Yoda shook his head. "Sounds not like Master Sinube. Found have you true evidence? Present was Master Sinube? Acting as Sinube, perhaps a shapeshifter was?"

"There is a surprising lack of physical evidence at this point, even with the knowledge that he was there. But I felt and recognized his presence in the Force as he arrived, so I know it was him. He seemed focused upon something very important to him. I was going to investigate further following our meeting when the alarm went off. Other than the witnesses who are all clones there isn't much of anything we can use. The virus attacked our records of his visit and anything that remains is circumstantial at best, completely ruined at worst. I shall keep looking and update you as the investigation progresses."

Master Hran leant forward, "Is he answering questions?"

Shaak Ti winced slightly before answering. "I am also afraid that I must also report his escape."

Master Kolar sneered at her image. "Escape? He escaped from Kamino? He escaped from a military facility under lockdown. He escaped from the most secure planet in the galaxy. Did you help him or are you just incompetent?"

The council erupted into noise as the masters all reacted to Kolar's derisive accusation before Master Windu quickly silenced them all with a motion of his hands.

"I am neither, Kolar, we impounded his ship but he had planned for such an action." frowned Shaak Ti, clearly ignoring the other master's title as a strike of her own. Then she transmitted a file to the council and spoke up, "Here are the recordings that I have been provided with."

In the centre of the room a recording of Jedi Master Sinube slipped into a ship that looked more like a garbage pile than a space worthy vessel.

Yoda smirked at the confused voices of the clone fighter pilots. "Scrapped I believed that ship was. Surprised I am that still working it is."

Master Kolar angrily gestured to the Council. "Obscure relics that fly aside. Why run? If he was not guilty why did he run? He knows us; we would have investigated and interviewed him before anything else. He knows that, but still he ran. It is an obvious admission of guilt. Tera Sinube is a traitor to the Jedi cause!"

Again, the Jedi council erupted into chaos. This time, it was not master Windu who silenced the group.

"Are you insane!?" Hran shouted as he jumped to his feet. "Master Sinube is one of our most venerable masters! He would not betray the Jedi way!"

"Are you so attached to him that you are blind!?" accused Kolar, as he rose to his feet to meet the other master eye to eye. "He. Ran. Master Tera Sinube ran. One of our foremost investigators, ran. He taught many of us the protocols and techniques for investigations. Jedi Master Tera Sinube is a man that we we all admire and I will admit to emulating as a Padawan. I wanted to be him or at least be worthy of his teachings. Ignoring his close history with Count Dooku, he knows better than to just run, he knows how that would look to others. If he isn't the Sith mole, then he is working for or with Jade. I'm not sure which disturbs me more."

Hran waved the comment aside, "How can he be a mole for Jade? They've never met!"

"Not, that we are aware of, but there is a lot that we are not aware of in this time of war. Who knows what's happened in all the chaos over the last few years. Do you know every move Jade has made? What about Master Sinube? Were there intermediaries? Does he even know who is pulling his strings? A thousand questions and no answers. Do you have a better explanation for what happened on Kamino? Does anyone have a better explanation for what happened on Kamino?"

Master Kolar paused for a moment to let his words sink in. No one in the room said anything, not even the stunned Hran. Even Sinube's greatest friends and allies had to admit the logic of Kolar's words. When it became clear that he still had the initiative, Kolar spoke and continued to make his claims clear. Only this time, instead of anger, Kolar spoke in sorrow.

"Can anyone claim that Sinube was acting in the best interest of the council? Surely someone can speak to his actions, and not just his character? Surely someone can prove to me that my accusations are baseless?"

The tone of pleading in Kolar's voice told the others he did not wish to believe recent events, but refused to ignore the dangers. As Hran looked away unable to say anything, Kolar sadly nodded. "I thought not. Masters, we must alert our brethren and declare Master Sinube a Rogue Jedi. We must arrest him and discover the truth before our enemies recover him for their own aims. He knows too many secrets to be ignored or forgotten. If he is innocent then we will find out. If guilty..."

* * *

Hran took a long draught of his drink, his co-conspirator and her shadow watching him with worry. The three of them sat in relative silence in a secluded corner of an empty cafeteria deep within the Jedi temple. It was late at night and off hours, with only the three of them being a reason to keep the lights on, so they would be able to speak their mind without fear of interlopers.

That being said, a grim and serious cloud had settled over the trio, ensuring that none of them would truly let their guard down. Gone were the days of open discussion, replaced by cloak and dagger work amidst secrecy and treachery. The stakes were too high to treat the topic with any form of levity.

Elia hated it.

Elia waited for Hran to swallow his beverage before asking the question on her mind. "Do they know about us?"

Hran snorted, "No. They think that Sinube is a lone agent working for either Jade or Dooku. But don't worry about him - he will be fine. We just need to distract the others until he can gather enough evidence. I'm tempted to lead the hunt for him personally so that I can keep the council off his back for as long as I can, but I doubt they'll let me."

Elia nodded grimly, "At least that's something. The data he provided is detailed enough for me to make some progress in unravelling this mystery. With the last checks and his information I believe I that could extract a biochip safely or even access the data held within. But we need to be careful not to implicate ourselves with Master Sinube in any way. There's also the issue of where I gained the information to even think of making such an attempt."

From his spot, leaning against a vending machine in the shadows, Kato chimed in with a sour voice, "Why don't you just cut into a corpse? I'm sure no one would pay any attention to a couple of missing body bags."

Elia looked up at Kato and then looked at Hran, a glimmer of hope in her mind. "We could actually do that. How hard would it be to find one of them?"

Kato balked, "I was being sarcastic; stealing a clone corpse is hard. Most of the clone bodies on Coruscant are incinerated within a few days – and clones don't die that often here. We'd likely be waiting for a very long time."

"But still," pushed Elia, "if we can't get permission from a live clone, a dead clone is the next best solution."

Hran nodded in agreement, "I'll look into it and see who we can talk to, spread the information quietly without causing too big a ripple. Right now, your highest priority is your own safety. You're already on thin ice. If they even suspect you were involved, they'll ship you to the Prism for the rest of your life."

Kato spoke up then, "Don't worry, I'll keep her safe. If things get to sketchy we'll run for it. I know a few ways out of the Temple that most don't."

Hran stared at Kato for a moment, "I have read your file; can you access the Masters Vault?"

"I don't know the combination but with enough time I could probably get in. The hard part is getting in without getting recorded."

Hran narrowed his eyes as he focused on the pair opposite. For a full minute he stared in silence, before abruptly he stood. "It's a good thing I know the combinations, follow me."

* * *

Hondo Ohnaka looked up at the image before him. "And you are sure they will have the crystals?"

Xora sneered down at him, "You have all of the information that we have on their mission. Just follow the tracker signal; acquire the droid and the crystals are yours. No explosives, no major trouble, don't blow the ship up."

"No cut of the loot, or sudden fees?"

Xora sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Hondo, do you want me to include them or will you just get the job done?"

"No, no. I am just making sure is all - the lightsaber droid for you, everything else for me."

"One last thing Hondo, if I hear any rumour of Jedi younglings being sold as slaves or murdered or even just missing… Well, do I need to go any further?"

"Madam, you insult me! I may be a pirate and scoundrel, but I am no slaver or child killer."

Xora focused on him just before she cut the link. "Good, I would be upset to hear otherwise."

Hondo waited a few seconds to ensure the link was dead before responding. "I have people for that and it's not like Jedi younglings are really worth all that much anyway."

* * *

Ahsoka smiled calmly at the younglings before her, her power flickered out and examined their connections to the force. Of all the people present, only Gungi the Wookie came close to her own new connection but that was likely due to the primal nature of his people. None of the children were capable of feeling the world as she could, and that knowledge both excited her and made her feel sad for the children who would never be able to do the same.

But pride came before the fall, and Ahsoka buried that sentimentality within herself. Her idle musings were of no importance today. Today wasn't her day; today was their day.

"Place your crystals upon the table before you. Your lesson begins now." Ahsoka said as she nodded to the younglings. She watched as they placed their crystals with great care on the table before them and awaited instructions. "It is my pleasure and honour to introduce you to architect and lightsaber designer, Professor Huyang."

Ahsoka smiled at the same act she remembered from her own time in this room. Huyang did love his theatrics.

With a steady but purposeful stride, the whirring of servo's announced his presence. She recognized his stance as that of many Jedi masters when they imbued their knowledge and experience on their pupils. Almost every Jedi mimicked the stance in some way, and with that a flicker of curiosity ran through her. Did the masters emulate Huyang, or did he emulate them?

In Professor Huyang's strange echoing voice, he looked the younglings over. "These are them? I swear they get younger every expedition." He looked at Ahsoka, "All have passed the Gathering?"

"Yes sir." replied Ahsoka hid her amusement beneath a beautiful smile. The children looked up to the professor with a mixture of awe and intimidation, and Ahsoka didn't want her amusement to ruin the mood.

The droid looked the younglings over before returning his attention to Ahsoka, "Are you sure? They look pretty scrawny."

Not one to take the insult lying down, a youngling named Ganodi spoke up from the back of the group, "But he's just a droid. You expect us to learn from a droid?"

Ahsoka simply raised an eyebrow in amusement; she had been the one to question his role in her own group many years ago.

"Who said that?" The old droid would have sneered if he had the capacity to do so. But even without that, you could hear the indignation in his voice, focused upon the young Rodian as she stared back up at him with her arms crossed. "For a thousand generations I have served on this ship and a dozen others before it. I have taught many Jedi before you - many that you would know, but many more that you would not - and I will continue teaching many Jedi after you are gone. I will continue to teach when you are forgotten in history, no more than dust in the wind, or are renowned through time, your legacy etched into the Jedi archives."

The droid took a moment to let his words sink in before returning his voice back to its original tone. "You may call me whatever you want, but inside my memory banks resides a record of every lightsaber ever made and the Jedi who fashioned them. You may find a better lightsaber instructor than I, though I doubt it, but then you would have to get him to actually teach you."

"Moving on… it is time for the lesson. Now pay attention, I will not be repeating this."

Professor Huyang pressed a button and a selection of lightsaber's appeared in a hologram over the table. Both Ahsoka and Huyang were amused by the younglings' amazed gasps.

Huyang waved his hand towards the image; his golden sensors flickered over each of the younglings' faces. "There are many designs to a lightsaber; some are stylistic choices while others are more practical. Some will aid you in battle while others will look be more lightweight. Will you choose a simple grip, the curved approach, one inlaid with the bone of the Cartusion Whale, Pastillion Ore or Black Onk?"

On and on the professor described different styles of lightsaber's as he raised up pieces amongst his collection of parts for display. Ahsoka watched the enraptured looks he was getting from the younglings with a happy smile. Here was a form of real magic, the magic of words and imagination. No doubt in the professor's ability remained within the younglings for his forceful delivery, but he continued on - spinning their minds in wonder. "From the Battles of Rashfond, to the Peacekeeping of Parliok, to our very own Clone Wars, the lightsaber is a Jedi's only true ally. Each lightsaber is as much a reflection of the Jedi as it is a tool to be used."

"But without knowledge, a tool is useless." Reaching over, Huyang took Ganodi's crystal up between finger and thumb, examining it closely.

"Do you know how they work?" he asked rhetorically, not waiting for an answer, "Yes, you have brought me your crystals, but they're all useless until you give them life."

He knelt before the Rodian, focusing upon her, "Do you know how to awaken the Force within the crystal?"

As she shook her head, he leant forward. "No? How about you?" he asked another youngling named Katooni, as her shaken head joined the Rodian's; he stood up and nodded sagely.

"Then I suggest you listen and learn until you think of a question this droid cannot answer." spotting Gungi at the side of the group, he swept closer, surprise colouring his voice. "A Wookie. Rare, you are to the Jedi. Proud, your people must be."

Gungi grunted in humble agreement.

"Unique, just as your lightsaber will be." said Huyang as he reached forward, his palms up, "Hold out your hand Wookie."

As Gungi placed his hand palm up in the cold metal of Huyang's hands, he continued, "Describe what you see your saber to be."

Gungi growled a few descriptive words, embarrassed by the question before the others. Though, what he said, only Huyang and Gungi understood.

Ahsoka stroked her wand that was resting in her belt, understanding this lesson from another viewpoint. Each wand was unique to its owner, and the humble materials that she had chosen created a special connection that linked the wand to her alone.

Huyang shook his head. "No, no, no, not what you imagine, but what you feel in your hand. Concentrate. What will make you strong in battle and humble in retreat? What connects with your Force?"

Gungi's eyes closed as he followed the instructions, faint memories of a brown material, green shade from above and darkness below. His mother's sharp claws digging into the bark as she climbed, the rich scent of sap and freshly cut wood flared in his nostrils for a moment.

Smiling at the memory of safety and belonging, he grunted his response.

Returning to a straight posture, Huyang nodded at Gungi's words. "Ah, yes, wood. Not a common choice. And only wood from the Brylark tree is as strong as metal." He tapped his own head at the word metal. Turning to his collection, Huyang tapped his chin in thought, overacting much to the younglings' amusement. "Let me see. Where would we find some Brylark wood all the way out here, far from anywhere, deep in space?"

He began to open drawers and cupboards in an almost comedic haste, lifting various building materials for the younglings to see before returning them back to their places. All the while he rummaged through the storage compartments for what he sought. "Let's see what we have. Let me see. No, no, no. Ah. I wondered where I'd put that. Oh. That's not mine, she'll probably want that back. Ah! Ah!"

Removing one of the drawers he returned to the table with a large bundle of Brylark wood in his hands. "What do we have here?"

Before their entranced and amazed eyes Huyang quickly used the parts to put together a basic lightsaber.

"It is my job, my duty, and my role. Before you leave this ship you will have everything that you need to build your lightsaber's, including the knowledge of how to do so safely. So let us begin. There is much more work to be done."

* * *

Hondo leant forward in his captain's chair, "Well, where are they?"

The sensors officer called from his post, "The Jedi ship is right in front of us sir."

Hondo waved a finger at him as he rose from his chair to pace the bridge, "Good, keep them in sight and don't let them know we're coming. If you lose them then you'll lose more than your head. Our attack must be swift and devastating. They cannot have time to get away."

His pilot groaned in annoyance, "I thought we weren't going to mess with Jedi anymore."

Silently Hondo came up behind the pilot and leant over the man's shoulder as he chuckled. "These aren't Jedi. My sources say they're just younglings..."

Hondo slapped the pilot on the back of his head several times as he continued, "These are just younglings headed back to the Jedi temple after a training mission. What's important, however, is that these younglings are carrying with them the most important treasure in the universe - kyber crystals! Used for making laser swords, the price for just one crystal would make a man rich! And we all know how much I like to be rich, don't we?"

"Oh and gentlemen." started Hondo as he turned to address the strike team waiting near the back of the bridge. One of the alien mercenaries snarled at him angrily, "…and lady, my bad. I have been informed that we should be using the stun setting only. They're just younglings; we don't want any... unfortunate accidents."

At their chuckle he nodded and returned to his seat. "A double share to the one who brings me the droid… Oh, and mind your language. They are impressionable children."

* * *

Sidious looked at his Jedi guests from the medical bed and did his best to maintain his composure. He really did not want to deal with any Jedi right now. His body was in heavy pain and he was wrapped in bandages. His back was covered in burns and it hurt to simply lie back in his bed. His head hurt from a falling piece of the ceiling that hit him and he was certain that the pain killers he was on were clouding his mind pretty badly.

If only that damn secretary hadn't gotten in his way. He might have been able to escape the explosion without suffering nearly as many injuries.

Still, he had to deal with the Jedi eventually. At least he could put away his mask of composure and grouse publicly.

"Please pardon my bluntness, but the painkillers are making it hard to think. To be frank, I require a bodyguard whose loyalty is without question…" said Palpatine stoically as he focused on Master Yoda for a moment. The aged green toad nodded stoically but said nothing as he waited for Palpatine to continue. "If a droid within the senate can somehow be turned into an assassin, then I will need a living staff that I can trust to perform their duties. Therefore I need a Jedi bodyguard who is loyal to the republic to be assigned to my protection. Meanwhile Republic Intelligence and the Senate Guard will search for any other droids corrupted by Jade within the senate."

Master Simms looked deep in thought for a few moments before she responded. "And you are sure it was a reprogrammed droid and that Jade did it?"

Sidious looked at the Jedi with a raised eyebrow. "I have no doubt that Jade was the one who corrupted the data within that droid – but the public cannot know this. Could you imagine the chaos that would cause? With the food situation getting worse, there would be riots as the droids that maintain this world are destroyed by angry mobs. "

Master Simms looked contrite at the information before nodding sagely, "We would have to reassign a few Knights to cover gaps in the war front, but your request is reasonable. Unfortunately, we would have to wait for a while though for this virus to be cleared. We have few Jedi present that would be suitable for such bodyguard duty."

Sidious looked at the window to appear nervous and worried. "I know of... No, it is too much of an imposition upon you. Ignore me. I am letting the fear of a second attack guide my actions. I am sure that whoever you assign to me will be of great loyalty and capability."

Simms smiled as she waved away his nervousness. "No, go on Chancellor. We can at least entertain your wishes"

Focusing on Simms, he smiled fondly in memory. "I have a history with Knight Skywalker and he is a great hero for the republic; I trust him. Perhaps he could be assigned to my person until a more appropriate option is available. If not him then perhaps his Padawan? I have heard she is most competent."

Yoda sighed, "Padawan Tano unavailable, undertaking vital duties she is."

Simms glanced at Master Yoda with a frown. "It may be possible Knight Skywalker can be assigned for a short period. I shall discuss it further with the Council and we will inform you as soon as we have made a decision."

Sidious nodded his head at them, "My thanks Master Jedi, I will rest easier knowing I am to be protected by your finest. Now if you'll excuse me, it's getting hard to think straight."

* * *

The pirates had come out of nowhere. One moment Ahsoka was grabbing a cup of caf and then in the next moment an alert claxon had triggered, blaring its warning across the halls of the ship. While she was sure that she could fight them off, Ahsoka was far more worried about the safety of the younglings. Ahsoka was a trained fighter, they were not.

With her connection to the force, Ahsoka could sense the vibrant and clean presences of the younglings ahead of her nearing a dead end. Unfortunately she could also sense the dull and tattered presences of the pirates boarding the ship closing in on them. Swiftly she crossed a junction and used a trick of the force to mask her presence; none of the pirates noticed her as they entered one of the nearby rooms to search it.

"Younglings! Younglings!" she hissed out to get them to stop, worried about creating too much noise. Quickly, she sealed the door behind her and locked it, not that it would do much – she had seen the pirates carrying fusion torches.

Ganodi stepped forward nervously, "Who's attacking the ship?"

Ahsoka considered for a moment whether to lie or tell the truth, before her mouth told the truth anyway. "Pirates."

"Pirates!" Ganodi hissed, "They'll kill us all."

Huyang stepped forward as the younglings began to panic, calmly speaking as he attempted to hush the children. "Perhaps we should hide in the ventilation shafts."

Agreeing, Ahsoka nodded, "Follow me." she said as she carefully opened the vent in the floor nearby.

Petro stood beside her, "Hiding is for cowards, we should stand and fight. Some of us have lightsaber's."

Ahsoka chuckled at his naïve bravery before pointing into the vent. "We are going to fight. Just not the way they expect."

Sparks began to fly as the pirates began to cut through the bulkhead behind them and Ahsoka started pushing the younglings into the vent with more urgency. "Now come on, it's time to go."

Katooni dropped into the vent before quickly turning to Ahsoka. "Is this part of our training?"

"Uh…" Ahsoka pushed her head down into the vent, "It is now."

Ahsoka jumped in after the last youngling just as the door broke and stinging smoke filled the corridor. With an alarmed quickness, she managed to pull the vent panel back in place with just a moment to spare as the pirates neared. She motioned silence as they stomped overhead, their feet clanging on the metal.

Ahsoka carefully drew her wand and whispered the notice-me-not charm over them and the vent, shielding the magic as it was cast from the youngling's sight with her body.

The pirates began to talk amongst themselves before walking away. Moments later, the charm lost its power and fell apart. Still, it had done its job and kept them safe.

Ahsoka sighed in relief at the release of the strain on herself. Too many minds had tested the charm in too quick of a period; in the end it had only held because of her will power – and it had taxed her heavily. She really needed to practice her magic more. Jade… Harry had explained that it was like a muscle. It needed exercise to become strong.

His lessons in her mind gave Ahsoka the knowledge and confidence to cast spells but they had not automatically given the power that she wished she had. She would have to practice later, when she wasn't in such a bad situation.

She hid her exhaustion as she turned to the younglings hiding behind her, her voice firm and confident amongst the shadows. "We must have courage, young Jedi. Ganodi and Zatt, I need you to get to the cockpit, find Artoo, and secure it. The rest of you, take Professor Huyang, and seal yourselves inside the hold and wait for my command."

Petro's nervous voice came from the shadows, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to reroute enough power to the engines so that we can break free of the pirate ship's hold on us, okay?"

"What about the pirates already on-board the ship?" Katooni's voice queried.

Ahsoka sighed, "Once the docking tube is ruptured, when the ships pull apart, a vacuum will be created which will suck the pirates off our ship and into space."

Ganodi sounded terrified as she spoke out. "Will we be sucked into space?"

"No!" started Ahsoka with a little too much quickness, she paused for a moment then started again. "No, the cockpit and the hold will be sealed and still have air. You'll be safe in there. But do not, and I mean. Do. Not. Engage the pirates. Your only job is to stay hidden. Do you understand?"

Ahsoka paused for a moment imagining their nods, before sighing in frustration. "I can't see you in the darkness. Do you understand?"

At their chorus of confirmations, she waved them away. "Now go."

At the sounds of them heading off, she carefully turned around and crawled through the small vents, silently thanking her small size and build to head away from the younglings. As the adrenaline of the shock wore off, Ahsoka had to wonder if that was how Skyguy always felt around her when she began questioning his plans.

* * *

With the ships corridors cleared of any potential threats, Hondo finally stepped upon the Jedi vessel. Taking a deep sniff, he happily called out to the boarding party, "I smell profit! Ha ha! Nice, juicy, fat, warm profits." He chuckled as he met up with the boarding party. "Well?"

His nephew stepped forward to make the report, "We've secured the ship, but she seems deserted."

Hondo's good mood dropped like a rock.

"You are an imbicile." remarked Hondo as he simply palmed his forehead, "That is the oldest trick in the book and you actually fell for it. I don't know why I agreed with my sister to bring you along, but you are an idiot... The runts are hiding in the ventilation system you moron."

His nephew actually had the gall to look surprised by the idea. "Oh, right, didn't think of that."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Hondo muttered to himself before speaking up to be heard by his men, "All that matters is you find me the younglings and bring me the crystals! If anything gets in the way, kill it!"

One of the pirates looked confused at the command, "But boss, they're just kids. You told us not to kill them."

Hondo looked up to the ceiling and sighed to himself, "'They're just kids.' When will they learn?"

Tapping the confused pirate on the shoulder with his shock staff, Hondo took out some of his anger on the poor moron that had decided to voice his stupidity. "I was being facetious. They may be kids, but they are still Jedi kids. That makes them dangerous."

Hondo paused as the rest of his crew gulped nervously, "And if you lack motivation, remember that on the black market these crystals are priceless. We will also hold the droid that the green bitch wants so much. We get away, be paid handsomely and safely retire somewhere beyond her reach until everything cools off."

One of the pirates pulled up the vent panel, "We won't fit down there."

Hondo shook his head in disgust. He could feel his intelligence committing suicide just being around these morons. "Smoke them out you idiot! Do I have to think of everything?"

Sighing in annoyance, Hondo's nephew slapped his partner on the shoulder. "You heard the boss."

Led by the one female pirate, who somehow seemed competent, the pirates opened every panel they could find and dumped most of their smoke grenades into the holes. With careful planning, they began to systematically herd anything in the vents towards the centre of the ship.

Amidst the smoke, Hondo heard one of the men remark, "I do love me a party."

Hondo watched them get to work, waiting until they were out of ear shot to curse their stupidity. "… All I want is competent mercenaries. Why is that so hard?"

* * *

Ahsoka frowned as the wall of smoke slowly billowed towards her. Feeling rested from her last spell, she quickly tried to cast a bubblehead charm. Much to her elated surprise, it actually held for a few moments.

Then she took a deep breath and it collapsed under the pressure change.

She silently swore before recasting the spell. This time, it collapsed when a sharp edge disrupted the bubble.

Growling in frustration, she cast a third and took a slow and gentle deep breath, holding the air as long as she could in her lungs before recasting as she breathed out. If she was careful, she would be able to maintain the charm for a little while longer.

Her stomach was already churning under the strain on her system.

* * *

From his place at the head of the group, Huyang looked behind his droid body and quietly called to the younglings. "Come on, keep up. The hold is not much further."

"Wait, something's wrong." cautioned Katooni as she stopped; a frown on her face as her gut churned in warning.

Just as she finished her warning, grenades fell from ahead and behind. The younglings and the droid professor were caught by surprise as the grenades immediately erupted into smoke, quickly billowing out to fill the shaft and obscuring their vision.

Huyang quickly opened the vent panel above him to let them get to fresh air but, just as his metallic hands opened the grating, a meaty hand grabbed him and yanked him up into the corridor.

The strike team snarled down at him, pleased with their prize.

"Unhand me, you uncivilized brigand!" called out professor Huyang as he was bodily slammed into a wall. Naturally, the pirates did not comply.

Instead, the leader leant forward over the hole and cheekily goaded the younglings still hiding in the smoke, "Well, hello, girls and boys. We've been looking forward to meeting you. Why don't you come out and play, I promise that we won't harm you…"

* * *

The pirates laughed and congratulated each other as the younglings were herded into the corridor at gunpoint. It didn't take long, as one by one the children were lined up against the wall with a dozen blasters pointed at them. The last person out was the Wookie, Gungi, who grunted in anger before being grabbed by the leader.

"Watch your tongue or you'll find yourself missing your brain." snarled the leader as he took hold of Gungi by the throat and squeezed hard enough to warn the younglings of what he could do to them. He continued the display of power for a few moments before turning his attention to one of the group's technicians who had already attached a datapad to Huyang. "Is that the droid we want?"

A nod, an affirmative, and then a round of cheers from the pirates.

The leader grinned in glee before turning back to the children, "Now that we have our big present, why don't you all nice and hand over your crystals."

As the younglings looked to each other in hesitation, a male named Petro quickly spun up a plan. He had been one of the first children in his class to put together the framework for his lightsaber, but unfortunately the wiring wasn't completed, the crystal wasn't aligned properly, and the emitter module hadn't been installed when the pirates had attacked. According to Huyang's warnings…

"Give me your crystals or I'll start blowing your brains out." warned the leader, who took a pot shot into the ceiling for added effect, "It'll be inconvenient to have to pick them off your corpses, but I've done worse for less."

"Stop!" cried out Petro as he took a step forward. A half dozen rifles turned to him and he gulped deeply, trying to keep his bravado up. "My crystal is in my lightsaber, if I take it out, your men will just shoot me."

The leader grinned in pleasure at the boy who was doing his best not to quiver in his boots, "Nonsense, just take it out nice and slow and you won't get hurt…"

Slowly, Petro pulled out his lightsaber and, ignoring Huyang and Katooni's hissed warnings, carefully activated it before using the force to levitate it into the air. Just as he had expected, the incomplete blade rapidly warmed up but did not create a blade of plasma.

"Ah, how very generous of you. I've always wanted one of these." the squad leader laughed heartily as he walked over to the blade and snatched it out of the air. He fiddled with it for a few moments, holding it away from himself as he pushed the various buttons and switches, "So… how do you turn this on?"

"You sure, you can handle it?" Petro snarked.

Sneering at the boy, the pirate leader continued to fiddle with the switches for a few moments before he began to realize just how hot it was getting. Frowning angrily, he threw it backwards before raising an angry blaster at Petro.

"This piece of shit doesn't even work-"

"Everybody get down!" cried out professor Huyang as he tried to escape from his captor's grasp. The younglings, most of whom had already realized what Petro's plan was, quickly ducked into the ground during the confusion.

In an instant, the lightsaber erupted in a flare of energy and concussive force. The blast detonated angrily in all directions, sending a dangerous shockwave out in all directions. There were screams, shouts, and howls of pain, but all too quickly the pirates had been silenced.

"Hurry children, there is no time to waste!" said Huyang loudly as he stood up from the blast wreckage and surveyed the area. "Everybody grab somebody else and check for injuries, we must be leaving immediately."

Petro's ears were ringing, but he ignored the pain as he reached down to the scorch marks of the improvised explosive and picked out his undamaged force crystal. It was fortunate that the leader had tossed the lightsaber behind him and the other children had escaped most of the blast, but Petro had planned on using the force to do the same thing.

As it stood, most of the children were unharmed. Only a few of them were unfortunate enough to have caught the edges of the blast. The pirates, on the other hand, did not escape the blast nearly as well.

At Huyang's urgings, the younglings did their best to ignore the ruined and torn flesh of the strike team; instead limping out the main door and into the hallways.

As they gathered a short distance away to catch their breaths, Katooni slapped Petro on the shoulder, "You killed them!"

Petro glared back, "Look, we can keep running, or we can stand and fight and show these pirates we're not afraid!"

Huyang staggered up to them, "I cannot approve of such action. Besides, I have been damaged and cannot aid you in battle."

Byph gestured towards the still smoking and damaged sections of Huyang and stammered his desire to hide from the pirates, Katooni cut through his words.

"As much as I wish otherwise, Petro is right. It's fight or be killed. But don't think that this won't be reported when we get home."

* * *

Sidious tapped away at his pad in his newly repaired office, awaiting his new official bodyguard. It was fortunate that many of his trinkets had survived the explosion. While a great deal of useless decorations had been destroyed, several of his valuable Sith relics had survived unscathed. His former master's funeral urn had been amongst the undamaged items, and Sidious was pleased to affirm that those vases were incredibly hard to destroy.

Three of his Sith acolytes were now on his staff; it was excellent practice at cloaking themselves from the Jedi and more than useful in their future roles as hunters. Should they be caught then it was understood that they would be executed for their failure.

A pity about Skywalker's Padawan. If he could have gotten his hands on her, then her death saving his life from a future assassination attempt would have removed a thorn from his plans whilst weakening his future apprentice's mental defences. The fallout on Jade would have been nice too.

Sidious reviewed his notes once more; the materials would be ready in a few more days for the ritual. That would be plenty of time to begin nudging things and to influence Anakin's dreams. The Jedi had even played into his hands; a minor Jedi of no note had been assigned as his bodyguard.

According to the council, knight Skywalker's duties prevented him from performing such a role. He was too valuable as a battlefront general to move away from the front for an indefinite period of time.

Recalling their words, Sidious snorted in amusement at their lies. The council did not want an outside influence upon their Chosen One but their fear was his advantage. Sidious would need to meet Anakin and discuss nothing of importance, slowly convincing Anakin of his own innocence and the council's own shortcomings.

It wouldn't be hard to turn Anakin against the council, the boy just needed to see more of the flaws of the council and lose his faith in them. A pointed phrase here, a subtle frown there at Jedi activities; small actions over time would create cracks in the illusion of superiority.

And when that mask was beginning to shatter, Sidious would drive the hammer down and destroy Anakin's faith in the council – all while remaining innocent and friendly in the boy's eyes.

But in order to do that, Sidious would need something powerful enough to truly damage his faith in the Jedi. Not just anything would do, however, Sidious needed to exploit something that Skywalker truly cared about in order to destroy his faith in the Jedi.

Sidious needed a flaw… a weakness he could exploit.

But what?

…Ah… Yes, perhaps the boy's Padawan would still be of use to him after all.

Signalling one of his acolytes to attend him, Sidious smiled devilishly as his ideas became plans that would be set into motion

"Your commands my Master?"

"Seek out..." Sidious gave his datapad a quick glance, "Padawan Barriss Offee. You will guide her to a source of the explosives stored in the Indigo Site. Nudge her to an appropriate mind-set for the plan and then trigger her three days after Padawan Ahsoka Tano returns from off world."

"As you command, my Master"

Sidious smiled at the potential this one event would provide him. Removal of a thorn, embarrassing the Jedi, fracturing Skywalker's faith in the Jedi Council, and causing more trouble for Jade. It was going to be a good day, he knew it.

* * *

After a long and arduous crawl, Ahsoka finally made it to engineering area. A quick look around told her that the area was abandoned and that she was safe for the moment. She took a few seconds to catch her breath before tapping on her communications link.

"Zatt, come in. I'm activating the emergency power and rerouting the power flow to the engines." she said quietly as she lifted a switch with her hands and used the force to manipulate an identical set of controls across the room. The hum of the engines slowly got louder as additional energy flowed inside the capacitors, but it would take a few minutes for them to fully energize. "Have you heard any word from the other students? Have they reached the hold?"

Zatt's voice sounded hesitant and pained as he responded through the comms system. "Uh, Not yet."

"Do you know where they are?"

"Sorry, I don't. I haven't heard from them since we separated."

"Great. I know what that means." sighed Ahsoka as she left the console. With her job in the engineering room finished, she quickly opened the hatch and began to run through the ship. She picked up speed as she sprinted down the corridors, using the force to open the hatches before her. All the while she reached out with her mind to try and locate the younglings.

With the Force singing to her, she felt them in the halls next to the training room. Unfortunately, she could also feel several of the pirates closing in on them. A quick change of course took her in that direction. As she neared them, her comm link chirped to life, and Ahsoka heard the younglings arguing amongst themselves.

"Zatt, close the door to the training room."

"Katooni! Where are you guys?"

"No time to explain, just close the door!"

"Katooni?!"

Sighing in tired frustration as she sprinted, Ahsoka decided right then and there that she needed to apologize to Master Skywalker when she saw him next. If she was anything like these younglings, then she was amazed that her Master hadn't turned to alcohol or gone bald from the stress.

Although it likely explained Master Kenobi's satisfied smirks when Skyguy looked frustrated with her.

… But she was never this bad… Honest!

* * *

Huyang and the younglings opened a hatch as they ran to find the pirates before them. Almost immediately the group closed the door and Huyang smashed the control panel with his metallic hands.

"That way will not work," remarked Huyang acerbically as the group turned around and made their way back the way they came, only to stop when they saw another group moving up behind them.

Hondo smiled as he waved his men to their positions. In his hands was a well-worn battle staff that hummed with electric power and he held it at the ready, just in case one of the younglings decided they wanted to try their odds. "Well children, you have put up quite a fight. I'll give you lot some credit because you've done a bit of damage to my men, but now playtime is over. Hand over your force crystals and the droid, and no-one gets hurt... much."

Before any of the younglings could react, the hatch doors behind the pirates opened. Ahsoka, still sprinting, burst into the Pirates ranks as she gathered the force around her into a wave of energy and let it flow outwards. The effect was instantaneous, catching the startled men by surprise and forcefully throwing them against the walls on either side as she leapt over them and landed in order to place herself between the younglings and the annoyed pirate captain.

Hondo just looked at her before palming his forehead and sighing in frustration. Moments later, a four man group of his back up mercenaries rushed into the scene from the open door and took up a firing position.

"Hondo," noted Ahsoka as she ignited one of her lightsaber's and pointed it at the pirate captain, "The Jedi council will not take kindly to this attack."

"Ahsoka Tano, how unexpectedly pleasant to see you again. Now, I'm sure that the council won't be happy about this attack, but that begs the question: How will they know who is responsible when there is no one left to tell the tale?"

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, "You seem less hospitable than our last meeting."

"My mood is based on profit and, today, I am in the mood for crystals. And a droid. Someone is paying extremely well for that droid."

Patting a pouch on her waist, Ahsoka drew her other lightsaber and ignited it, "You want the crystals? Come and take them."

Motioning to his bodyguards, Hondo rolled his eyes as his men fired a round of stun blasts at the group. The men fired rapidly but Ahsoka turned into a blur of motion as she danced across the corridor, her blades spinning circles as each and every shot was deflected away from the younglings.

As his men continued their attack, Hondo signalled again. Almost immediately, two soldiers broke from their formation and rushed at Ahsoka while two soldiers remained behind and continued to fire stun bolts into the crowd.

Ahsoka frowned in determination as she continued to block the bolts, pausing only momentarily to separate the two men's' heads from their shoulders with her lightsaber. But, in the single moment that she had chosen to strike, a bolt struck Katooni and sent the youngling screaming to the floor.

In response, Ahsoka lashed out in anger at the mercenary responsible for the shot, throwing her blade in a deadly spiral that split the man in two before striking the wall and gouging a deep and ugly scar in the metal and turning off.

Using that single moment of Ahsoka's focus being elsewhere, Hondo rushed in and lashed out, his staff humming with power as her remaining lightsaber blocked his strike with his shock staff. His remaining man, not wanting to shoot his boss, cautiously chose to hold his fire and watch the exchange.

"Easy now," he chuckled as his shock staff continued to push angrily against Ahsoka's lightsaber. It was a battle of strength at that moment, and slowly she began to drive him backwards and towards a wall "perhaps you would be willing to negotiate?"

With an angry flourish, Hondo shoved his staff forward and broke the contact. Then he struck out, extending the staff outward to strike at Ahsoka's head only to have it deflected by her blade. The battle was on!

With their attackers momentarily subdued, professor Huyang motioned to his group of younglings and they slowly started moving around the pair of fighters and out towards the only remaining exit. They approached the last guard, who was torn between aiming his gun at Ahsoka and the younglings.

"You aren't going anywhere." he warned them before levelling his rifle at Huyang, "I'm warning you right now that I'm not using stun bolts. You take one more step and I'll kill all of you."

Nervously, the group stopped moving except for the professor. He just continued to march at the man without missing a beat.

A blaster bolt tore the droids head from his body.

"How dare you!" screamed professor Huyang as his head dropped to the floor, "I've lived on this ship for a thousand years. I've never lost a fight and I won't start today!"

To the pirate's horror, Huyang's droid body continued its advance towards the surprised pirate. Two more blasts ripped both of Huyang's arms from his torso but Huyang, having closed the distance, and kicked his opponent in the face. His target fell back on the floor, dazed by the impossible attack, and just as quickly, Huyang stamped on his throat, leaving a gurgling mess to slowly die on the floor.

With a fearful glance at the dying pirate, Petro quickly grabbed Huyang's arms whilst Gungi grabbed the head and they quickly rushed the last few corridors to the hold, Huyang's body limping after them.

"But what about Ahsoka?" asked Petro nervously as the group ran towards a nearby corridor.

"You will just have to trust in her ability."

* * *

The Jedi and the pirate danced a waltz of death as Ahsoka's twin sabres attacked and defended against Hondo's shock staff. The younglings and the other pirates were forgotten as each side fought for control of the battle. Ahsoka's speed and technique were equalized by Hondo's greater reach and strength as they encircled each other and attacked viciously. Each one gave ground as the momentum of battle continually shifted around them.

Strike. Block. Swing. Miss. Thrust. Parry.

The fight continued for minutes that felt like hours as the two continued to fight through the halls, though it quickly became apparent to Hondo that Ahsoka attempting to lure him away from the younglings and the droid.

And by attempting, Hondo meant that she was doing a damn good job at it. If she had actually wanted to kill him, he'd have been as dead as his men back in the hallways.

"You know..." noted Hondo as he deflected a blow to his head and lashed out with the opposite end of his staff, "had I known you were on this ship, I would have simply asked for what I wanted directly, and we could have avoided all of this."

"I don't want to hurt you Hondo." Ahsoka grunted as she deflected Hondo's attack and struck forward again.

Hondo merely smiled in amusement as he responded, "I know and, and I appreciate that. But you know, we're right next to the docking platform."

The hatch shuddered open and even more of Hondo's men rushed out into the hallway. Ahsoka immediately pushed backwards and away from Hondo, making a gap of space between the two combatants that would take a few seconds to breach.

The pirate and the Jedi stared each other down for a few moments, each waiting for the other to make a move, when Ahsoka's comm link chirped to life.

Hondo simply stepped back and gestured towards it, waiting for her to deal with her call. He was short of breath and that moment was as good as any to catch it. His men would keep her occupied if she chose to attack again.

"Ahsoka, Ahsoka, Come in!" shouted Zatt over the comm, "They've made it to the hold."

"What are you waiting for?" asked Ahsoka cautiously, all the while maintaining eye contact with Hondo. She raised an eye to Hondo, as if to direct the question at the pirate captain as well as the youngling on the other end of the comm.

Hondo simply smirked as he motioned to his men, goaded on by Ahsoka's question. His soldiers rained down bolts of energy at Ahsoka and forced her into action in order to defend herself. When a deflected bolt carved a deadly gouge in one of the attacker's chests, Ahsoka affirmed just how much deadlier the fight had gotten.

"But what about you?" Zatt's voice queried amongst the storm of attacks she was deflecting away from her.

"Just do it!" she snapped as a bolt whistled past her ear, close enough to burn a tiny scratch as it passed.

Hondo's men continued to attack when the ship juddered and jolted. The engines flared to full power and the ship groaned angrily as it began to tear itself free of the docking platform. Hondo and his men desperately tried to maintain their footing, only to lose their balance as the ship's structure squealed under the sudden strain and more violent jolts rippled through the hull.

Then a hole, just a few inches wide, ripped in wall.

Ahsoka realized the flaw in her plans just an instant too late.

Angrily, the air around them rushed in a hurry as it began to vent through the ruptured collar around the airlock. As the Jedi ship began to drag itself free from the harpoons and tunnel linking them the gap slowly got wider and wider and created a vortex of death that indiscriminately pulled everything towards it.

Hondo's eyes widened in horror as he grabbed hold of one of the walls and watched as one of his pirates was sucked through the hole. The man was large enough that he momentarily plugged the hole, all the while screaming in agony as his body was used to stop the vortex that dragged everything into space.

"What the hell are you doing?!" screamed Hondo as he found a handgrip to hold onto. That man wouldn't plug the hold for long and Hondo really did not want to be on the receiving end of that.

A second hole opened up and a second man was pulled completely through the opening into space before a pair of pirates collided with each other and plugged that gap.

"Getting you off my ship."

Ahsoka snarled as she leapt forward and kicked Hondo in the face and broke his grip. Then she grabbed another pirate with the force and slammed that man into Hondo. The pirate captain was stunned by her audacity and relinquished his hold, allowing her to grab onto him and rush forward towards the air lock that marked the boundary between Hondo's ship and Ahsoka's ship. She continued to charge forward, using the force to empower her stride.

Defeating the pull of space was next to impossible, but somehow Ahsoka managed to make her way into the umbilical of Hondo's ship with the pirate captain in hand.

As she slammed the button in the airlock to seal the hatch, Ahsoka screamed out to Zatt through the comms. "We're all clear! make the jump to hyperspace!"

Ahsoka collapsed to the ground as the vacuum of space relinquished its hold on her and the excess force she had created propelled her to the ground. The umbilical rocked violently as the Jedi ship tore itself free and immediately disappeared in a blur.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and staggered to her feet. Glancing down the umbilical she saw the pirates already in the airlock warily watching her.

Hondo leant against the wall beside the controls for the hatch. His knowing smile immediately brought to mind how much trouble she was in.

"Now, I know what you are thinking. Would Hondo actually seal the hatch and watch as he jettisoned the umbilical to let me die alone in space? I am thinking that the answer is up to you."

Ahsoka's fist clenched around her single lightsaber hilt for a moment before she threw it to the floor ahead of her, her hands raising up to signal her surrender.

"An excellent choice, my friend. Now, kick the laser sword towards me and get on your knees, put your hands on your montrals."

Following his instructions, she fought down the fear filling her as two of the pirates moved towards her, one with his rifle aimed at her head, the other with shackles. How in the Force was she going to get out of this?

* * *

 **AN:**

Okay as an alternate, I've condensed my responses a touch as you may have noticed below.

To all the Guests: Thank you and I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Indecisive Bob; Tf330129; Goddragonking; C. ; Davycrockett100; Ahrondude; Starboy454; Emperor Vanquest; BioHazard82; Grovepjp; Kyoshi711; Lalo80; Polparohoda; Nerffearder69; Eric Thorsen; God of All; Mathiasgranger; 573; . ; Willam and Jack and Jake (that was a lot of reviews); Panther Hardraad; Darth Shaddix; Theshadow03: Thank you.

Darlok: This was a difficult chapter to write, but I have pieces already started on following chapters. Nothing too much, but it will help in the long haul. Unfortunately Palpatine won't be effected beyond embarrassment, as chancellor he is separate and unbiased towards his homeworld. Which he actually is. As for protecting the Imperium's borders, you'll soon see.

Mvplourde: Thank you. Sidious is very prideful, plus there's more to it as noted in this chapter.

Penny is wise: Thank you. It's more of a grenade into a battlefield where everyone has just discovered it's also a minefield.

Bluesnowman: Thank you, it just popped into my head as his response. It was too good to ignore.

Bloodwolf432: Good advice, I will keep it in mind.

Neodova: Masterpiece? Thank you for such high praise.

Arashi – IV of VI: Good to hear that.

AnimeA55Kicker: Glad you enjoyed it.

Puma1sunfire: Thank you, I hope you keep enjoying it throughout.

Red demon161: Thank you. Harry wants to end the war and if he has to knock heads together to do it, well get ready for a concussion. :)

Beer is food: Thank you. Adas was the king who united the Sith species into a global power. He's a legendary figure of theirs and was prophesised to return as the Sith'ari. Also good advice. I will keep it in mind.

Home of the Brave: Thank you for the high praise. I am glad you are enjoying it.

Blackholelord: I thought it an organic flow of thoughts and events to result in this. Harry also plans for the new Empire to survive without him.

Even in my wilde: I would be happy to do so, I imagine the paycheck would be nice. I'd have done so much with the setting differently, as you may have already guessed. It might take me a while, but I am working on this to the end of the clone wars arc and the potter arc which follows. I have plans for a sequel, but there is also a lot of other stories I have in my head that I need to get out. I hope you find your answers above in this chapter. I'm not sure what you meant by "Evan weigh what jade?"

The Burgundy Blitz: Actually no, he's not, the name is a coincidence. I trawled through characters to find those that had potential and he was one of them that gained a little life of his own when I wrote him.

Bearmauls: Things have been building to this in the background. It felt like the right moment to pull this move. She's one of my favourites as well, I always like to write her, sometimes the words just flow and surprise me. Sometimes the truth can hurt more than lies. He's given those he likes a chance, it's up to them what they do with it now. Let's just say that he will not be a boy groomed to die.

Beloved Daughter: Harry hit him where it hurts the most, his ambitions. The speech and the birth of the Imperium alone means that Sidious needs to rethink his delicate plans. Harry has given them clues to discover matters on their own, the rest is up to them.

Thaumaturge1618: Thank you, I am always happy to hear that people are enjoying my work. I will complete it, its just a matter of time, having to work sucks, but it pays the bills.

Ksecc1: Thank you. Not as quick as I would have liked. He follows his gut instincts more than light and dark. He realises he was groomed for a purpose and now he will make his own path. I am currently working on a collection of bios for the characters to be put in a forum. Hopefully that will help. Lux's tale is explained more in this chapter.

Rongladiator: Thank you. His followers already have. Go back to the Belsavis chapters and if you play the Old Republic MMO, you may recognise a certain location and a nearby crashed ship. I haven't forgotten it.

Alex2909: It was very Gryffindor of him.

Beanseh: Thank you. The speech would have worked better as a voice over the events occurring around the galaxy, but that was always going to be difficult to do in the written word. Mandalore will be reunited, but not as either side wishes.

Orion0905: My polls, when they occur, will be at the top of my profile. I have included your vote in the results.

Lord of Carrion: Thank you. This has been planned for a while and his followers have been building up for this. The Imperiums new Flagship will certainly make an impression on its first battle. Bail didn't really understand the full implications of what the events have brought into being.

Lord Eveningshade: Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy the potter arc, when it finally arrives.

Joe Lawyer: This is a moment where the canon fades rapidly to a new path. Some things will remain, but not entirely the same.

Neon1311: I'm glad you like it. Ahsoka's tale will shift in its own way, as will Padme's.

Ahsanrox: Thank you. I hadn't realised it until you mentioned it, but I don't remember any myself.

Mangahero18: Thank you, I hope you enjoy what follows.

Icfehr: Glad you enjoyed it.

SSSra: Thank you. There's a way to go yet until I'm finished with this story, just bear with me as life takes up a lot of my time.

Lycan01: Thank you, I'm glad you seem to be enjoying my work. Wow, you must have powered through the chapters.

Drachna: Thank you. That was the hardest part of it, it was difficult to get it to work and flow well.

Divine-Faithborn: Even I have to guess at some of the characters next moves. Thank you for the hard work as well.

Sajuuk: Thank you. Quite a bit actually, supplemented with his own construction using the facilities. Plus the embezzled money. Can't forget that. Some of them are minor things, others much less so. The repercussions of them will be shown soon, some already have. They were already there, they just lacked training. Lux has run off with his background and won't give it back. :)

Elquenodebesernombrado: Harry is currently ahead on the tech front. His army is reasonably fresh in comparison to the others. He may lack a large number of veterans, but he is making up for it in other ways. A secret cult of force users employed as a police force can quickly sway events.

Grayiron: Thank you. In answer to your questions, 1 – No, unless its concepts that have been used already. 2 – Again not in this story. I have plenty of crossovers in my head demanding to get out. They will be posted eventually.

Doc Scherer: I went along the idea that Sidious sees the potential in Harry, but was already working to create his preferred apprentice. Where Skywalker would be loyal and could be guided properly, Harry was powerful and ambitious. Too much for Sidious' liking. From the reports he's seen, Harry is a future rival to Sidious' plan to become an immortal Emperor. Sidious does not allow rivals the chance to prosper.

HellsMaji: Glad you liked it.

Scarlett Woman: Almost there, just a few loose threads to neaten up first. I'm always happy to respond to questions, I try not to give spoilers though.

Story Cipher: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. There were elements stolen from the speech given in the novelisation.

Library Ghost 01: Glad you are enjoying it, I hope you continue to do so.

JPElles: I think I answered a few of your questions with this chapter.

DenzinoftheMountain: Personally I prefer Battle Royale over Hunger Games, but pretty much, yeah he did.

Ranmaleopard: Glad to hear that you are still enjoying the story.

Graypdrink: The Star Wars section is nearing the final stages, but the Potter section is as long as this one if everything continues as planned.

FraciousDay: Thank you. I'm curious as to the plot holes you've spotted. Yes he will return, things are building towards that for a while.

Man of Constant Sorrows: I appreciate all constructive criticism and will even consider ideas from others, but the core of my story has already been written out, I just add flesh to the bones. Everyone has their own tastes.

Appie: Here you go.

Guest: Midichlorians don't change in amount without dodgy methods. The ability, knowledge and experience to use his power however…

Concept Human: The Abaddon persona has the entirety of Harry's knowledge, fragments of Voldemorts and the clarity to merge the knowledge. He believes he is correct with all his information. As for the wandcraft, its mostly Harry experimenting. He knows how a wand is meant to work, what components make a wand and how its meant to look. He just needs to get the mix right. For every success there were dozens of failures.

Guest: Harry would not be a good match with a Phoenix, I see Dumbledore as only just acceptable for Fawkes, Harry is most definitely not. Although, you might spot him around in the background.

Sisyphus1967: Thank you very much for your kind words. I am curious what cross overs you've spotted so far.

FuriousJ6789: Thank you, I hope that you keep enjoying the story as it continues.


	24. Dark Clouds on the Horizon

**AN:**

First of all, Happy May the Fourth!

Thank you Ladyivy19064 for being my 2000th follower and Camp1500 for being my 800th reviewer :)

Thanks once more to Divine-Faithborn for soldiering on with this story. It is greatly appreciated, especially with this having been an incredibly busy period for you in your work life.

Thank you for enjoying my story so much, I truly appreciate all the readers taking their time out to read my work. It's rather intimidating and exhilarating at the same time.

Bear with me as life is being rather annoying for me for the last few months, I won't bore you with the details as they're just depressing, but I will say that seeing how many of you are reading my work each day does wonders for my morale. Although I will say that being able to use both hands again feels almost like a privilege. You do not realize how much a difference having only one usable hand makes, plus shoelaces become your arch nemeses.

I have also gone through the older chapters to produce a chapter summary on my Forums for what has happened so far. The link is on my profile and is as follows: myforums/Shahismael/5585574/

I did notice something that fell through the editing as I was reading everything, When Montu manages to meditate in Chapter 21, I wrote that his ship came out of Hyperspace and he quarantined the system at seeing where he was. Please ignore the drop out of hyperspace and quarantining aspect of it, that was actually meant to follow him receiving orders that he receives in this chapter, the meditation part is fine though.

Anyway, on with the show :)

 **Chapter 24 – Dark Clouds on the Horizon**

Harry placed the pieces of scarlet Khyber crystal together. Holding them in place in the air before him, he breathed slowly and allowed his force and his magic to work together and guide him in concert. In this regard, he was as much a witness as he was an architect, observing the beauty of the act as much as orchestrating it.

Gold wiring flowed around him, held aloft by the force and guided into position by magic, to form a lattice that would define his holocron's shape.

Amused at a sudden memory that sprang to mind, he reformed a section of the wire on the whim of a fleeting fancy, trusting in his instincts to guide his way. Function over form – but in many regards, the form was the function.

As he continued to impose his will upon the crystal, he gently poured his power within the frame, allowing his signature to seep into the crystal just as the metal flowed like liquid to seal the two pieces together. Shards of circuitry shattered and reformed in congruous harmony, moving and swimming inside of the solid crystal, hiding in the depths of the device. An internal light began to grow like a fire within the structure as it took shape.

Minutes became hours as a thin dust rose from the holocron as edges refined and smoothed; links made and patterns grown. The dust flowed like a liquid through the air to gather within his palms, fragments of gold wire joining them and flowing together.

Breathing deeply, Harry closed his eyes and allowed his memories of Abaddon to focus mental defences, rewriting and refining the flow to make as clean and precise a recording as possible. Following his instincts and the information taken from San'sii, he poured every facet of his knowledge into the crystal, focusing deeper and deeper as it seeped into every crevasse and plane in a winding maze of knowledge.

Without realizing it, silver tears, heavy with memories and emotions, ran down his cheeks to fall within the mix.

Finally he blinked as he became aware of his surroundings once more.

Floating before him was a sphere of Cinnabar red crystal, bound in gold. The gold pattern reminded him of a snitch but also of Neville's rememberall, the colour the same as the philosopher's stone. It was large enough to fill his palm and his fingers would reach just over half way around its mass.

It was about the size of an adult human's heart.

Within his hands, a jagged crystal had formed from the gathered dust from the holocrons construction. Gold filigree wound itself around the crystal, like a guardian serpent. A faint light flickered in its depths, pulsing in sync with the beat of his own heart.

Lifting it with the force, Harry gently floated it upwards towards the holocron. And as it two neared each other, the sphere opened up like a fractal flower, segments moving aside to allow its heart to settle in place. Smoothly it flowed back into place, leaving no mark of its passage bar the light from within becoming a gentle steady glow.

A flicker of his power triggered the gate keeper.

A copy of him in his Hogwarts robes, but with lightsabers at his waist and armour under the robes, formed from the green light - the colour of which matched his eyes.

"Greetings Maker, how may I serve?"

* * *

Sidious smiled as he sat in his opera box; a façade of casual relaxation mixed with pleasured entertainment at the night's events played out before him. To his left sat one of his new bodyguards, knight Olana Chion. Much like Sidious, Olana appeared to be deeply moved by the singers on the stage. To his right stood master Coleman Kcaj. The wizened Jedi master was also a fellow opera lover, but he at least had the dignity to pay attention to his job. With a straight face master Coleman continued to stare at knight Olana with disapproving eyes, disappointed at her distraction from her duty.

Internally, Sidious's mask of relaxation hid a mind deep in thought. He held no delusions that Jade was not watching his every movement, for the bastard turned galactic leader had already shown his aptitude in stealing information and placing spies. He would have to play his proverbial cards close to his chest, reign in his projects and conspiracies lest they be revealed or stolen away from him.

Still, just by being present at the night's opera, Sidious was taking steps to rebuild his plans and undermining his opposition's objectives.

Approving nods of respect had greeted Sidious earlier that night when he took his usual box. If possible, he would have preferred to skip the show, but by attending the opera he was showing that he had recovered from the attack and was unafraid of the terrorists by being out in public. He was not some fragile figurehead that needed to sit behind forcefields and durasteel and protections. He was not some illusive figurehead that never showed himself. He was the leader of the Galactic Republic.

Still, he wished that the other patrons would at least pretend to focus on the opera.

Rumours continued to ripple across the hall, wondering if he was not perhaps baiting the terrorists, daring them to make another attempt. Admiration for his bravery would surely reach the reporters and tomorrow's conclusion of the investigation would paint Jade as the attacker in the public's eye. With no actual proof Sidious could not directly accuse the man, but the public would not care for evidence when the media began a campaign to paint the new Imperium as an already corrupt and dangerous nation of warmongers.

The lead opera singer hit a high note as Sidious returned his thoughts to his plans. The majority of them were scattered and broken and the most fundamental core could no longer be the formation of an empire. After all, Jade had already stolen them and used them. It wouldn't do to be seen as a copy-cat, even though the truth was the opposite.

How else was he to impose order on the galaxy?

Sidious's thoughts slowed to a crawl for a moment before rushing back to full speed. His façade broke as a massive grin broke upon his face. An epiphany struck him just as the crowd erupted into applause at the conclusion of a rather taxing series of high notes. To the rest of the audience, he was enthralled by an opera that he really wasn't paying any attention to.

He had seen this show before.

It was boring.

Sidious would create a new order, rising from the collapse of the republic against a mortal enemy that desired nothing more than their total annihilation. It would use the few Jedi still loyal to the republic as a foundation and he would paint them as his personal liberators while slowly perverting their ideals towards his own goals. He would still destroy the Jedi eventually, but by the time he was through building his empire they would have already burned themselves into a shadow of their former glory. After all, the war was only going to get far worse for them.

The name and the details would come to him later, after he had a chance to iron them out in the near future. But thanks to Jade's actions, Sidious now had an option to escalate the war even further than it had been in the past. The senate would have no choice but to agree to him, even the dissenters would fall into line.

After all, this was no longer a civil war. This was now a war against a new, major power – Jade's imperium. This was a war against a rising and hungry Empire who would wish to expand and conquer. After all, that's what Empires did. It didn't really matter that Jade's imperium was going to hold its own territory, Sidious could goad them into war.

His Order would then liberate enslaved worlds and bring them back to the fold. Clean, neat, and a good PR front. The people would love him and his enemies would fear him. A passing notion also reminded him that this war would also keep the Hutt's contained, they will not wish to become involved any more than they are now.

He glanced up and clapped with the rest of the audience as the opera ended. Perhaps it was time to accidently find Skywalker with Senator Amidala. Yes, it would be best to get the issue of their relationship out of the way.

After all, what good is a Jedi Order without a puppet to lead it for him?

* * *

Padme took a deep breath before opening the door to her apartment, "Chancellor! This is a pleasant surprise. How can I help you this evening?"

Yes, he was probably rushing things. Yes, he was going off half-cocked. But damn it all he was in a good mood tonight and nothing would spoil it for him. His security forces had already informed him of knight Skywalker's present location and now was as good a time as any to get it out of the way.

Palpatine smiled wistfully at the sight of her, "I hope I am not disturbing you, this isn't a business call, though I do have some documents that I would like you to look over in the next few days. I'm afraid that Jade's new Imperium has left us both as politicians without homes."

"If you had wanted me to read over some documents, surely you could have simply left them in my office." replied Padme Amidala as she motioned for the chancellor to enter into the doorway.

Palpatine continued to smile softly as he accepted her invitation, the door closing behind them as he spoke, "I would prefer to speak as friends and not as politicians. It has simply been too long since I was home and with the whole Naboo issue I couldn't help but feel nostalgic. We aren't as close as we used to be, and I can't help but feel that I have been remiss of our working relationship. Perhaps it is simply because of Jade's imperium, but I find myself desiring to rebuild our friendship."

"What are you saying Chancellor?" asked Padme, her face one of cautious apprehension as if to say that she did not fully buy Palpatine's story.

"Truthfully…" started Palpatine before he paused and prepared to lie through his teeth. "… I feel old senator. This war has dragged on and with Jade's imperium I cannot help but fear that he will escalate this war. The republic has fought long and hard to try and bring order to this civil war, but then Jade came and blindsided us all."

Padme began to say something, but the words died in her mouth as Palpatine spoke again.

"Truthfully I was going to ask you if you wanted to visit one of the traditional Nubooan restaurants and speak longer about his subject, but I am intruding." As if to make his case, Palpatine motioned an arm to a nearby dinner table that already had two sets of plates and silverware set. A pair of lit candles adorned the center of the table as well. "I didn't know you were seeing someone my dear, might I enquire as to the lucky individual?"

"Well um, you see..."

He raised a hand to stop her. "No, no. I apologize my dear. I am intruding into your personal business. I am sorry for sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong, we have so little privacy as it is, our lives are under constant scrutiny are they not. Would you perhaps agree to join me for lunch tomorrow then?"

"Of course, I would be honoured." She smiled as she nodded to him in agreement.

From Senator Amidala's personal rooms, Anakin Skywalker's voice called out for her, "Padme! I hope you don't mind, I had to borrow your shampoo, I forgot to buy some more of mine."

Palpatine simply raised an eyebrow at her, "Might I enquire why Anakin Skywalker is in your personal bathroom rather than the guest rooms?"

Padme, managed to hide most of her panic as she tried to craft a believable lie. "Master Skywalker was visiting after a mission and…" Padme smiled, well more grimaced at Palpatine, "If you would excuse me a moment." She rushed off to his hidden amusement.

Palpatine moved over to the drinks cabinet and poured himself a glass of Nabooan brandy, not a bad one at that, half listening to the whispered conversation occurring in Padme's bedroom. He couldn't hear the exact words, but the tones and patterns were easy enough to guess at.

'The Chancellors here. No, he can't be. He heard you. What do we do? I don't know. We can try and pass this off as something else.' Something along those lines, he imagined.

It was all rather dramatic and traumatic for them, an excellent point for him to begin to work from. For a moment, he was tempted to let them try and explain this all away, but he simply wasn't in the mood and chose to attack this head on.

At least, he would once they got their act together and joined him for a drink.

He had a quick look at the wine in the ice bucket, a very good choice, an excellent vintage, from Palpatine's own vineyard in fact, a fish meal most likely. His attention was drawn back to the reason he was here as Padme and Anakin came out of the bedroom to join him. He looked the pair over, Padme doing her utmost to stand strong, as if daring him to say something negative, Anakin seemed most interested in everything bar the Chancellor, his embarrassment so very entertaining.

As Padme opened her mouth to start her excuses or similar, Palpatine began his assault, "I cannot describe how disappointed I am in the both of you."

Anakin's mouth opened to defend them but stopped at Palpatine's raised hand. "Calm down Anakin, let me finish. I am disappointed that you felt you couldn't trust me with this information. I know that the Jedi disallow romantic relationships but did you truly believe I would turn you in to the Jedi?"

Padme looked surprised, "Why wouldn't you?"

Palpatine lightly chuckled to himself, "My dear, while I trust the Jedi council with my life, I don't agree with everything that they do. Besides, I would never betray the confidence of my friends. Had you told me, I perhaps could have done something to help."

Anakin cocked his head to the side, "Help?"

"Yes, help. Perhaps I could have bogged you down with bureaucratic paperwork or pulled some strings and put you on special assignment to guard senator Amidala; maybe even a few weeks off from the war front. Now, how long has this been going on? A few weeks?"

At their nervous fidgeting he raised an eyebrow, "A couple of months?"

Still they refused to look at him, "Years?"

At their mutual flinch, he sighed before chuckling light-heartedly. "At least you have hidden your relationship well. For it to have been years, you must be doing something right. Still, whilst I may approve of you two being together, I cannot blame you for hiding your relationship. We all know the Jedi would force you to break apart."

Anakin's, head snapped up at that, fire in his eyes. "I won't let them."

"If only it were that easy," Palpatine sighed, "Anakin, I know what the Jedi prophecy says about you, you are supposedly the Chosen One and I have no doubt that they wouldn't just let you quit and walk out of the order. I have no doubt that they would send you some place far away from Padme; ensuring that you are too busy fighting on the warfront or out of the picture farming on some desolate planet for Jedi flunkies."

"I have no doubt that they would force you to choose between them and Padme, but we all know that the order would only accept one outcome. If they attacked your loyalties with guilt, what would you do…? No matter, I will keep your secret."

Taking the opportunity, he continued. "It is fortuitous that I requested you to be assigned as my bodyguard."

"You did?" Padme asked as Anakin's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Did they not tell you?" Palpatine grunted in annoyance to cover his glee as he sensed the frustration rising in his future apprentice. "They assigned me one of their best instead of you; they claimed you were too busy and important to the war to assign elsewhere."

"Who did they assign instead?" Anakin's curious tone hid his annoyance well, but everyone who knew him would have heard it clearly.

Calmly Palpatine responded, "Knight Olana Chion." His eyes not missing a reaction as Anakin's eyes closed in pained annoyance for a moment.

"Chion!? She really doesn't like me. She was given a field promotion last year as we needed the numbers. She has talent, but no real combat experience. Ahsoka is leagues above her, even with the age difference, why not assign her to protect you if they would not let me?"

"Because Padawan Ahsoka is not here right now. I asked for her as an alternative to yourself, but they said she was on an important duty for the Jedi." muttered Palpatine as he pretended to be mildly disturbed by the conversation, "Do you mean to tell me that my experienced and advanced bodyguard, isn't. This is worrying, why would they lie to me? What did they have to gain by doing so?"

Padme entered the conversation at this point, her honour and respect for the Jedi clouding her judgement. "I'm sure it was a simple mistake, nothing untoward at all."

Palpatine internally smirked as Padme's tone did nothing to hide the uncertainty she was feeling. Anakin frowning at her words was an added bonus, water for the seeds of doubt settling into fertile soil. Apparently, Palpatine mused, he was in a poetic mood tonight, it must have been the opera.

Palpatine smiled as he continued, waving away the issues for later. "Either way, I will do what I can to assist you two. And should you be discovered and wish to still be involved in the war, then... yes, perfect. Should you desire it Anakin, I can have a vacancy open on my staff, a military advisor. It would allow you to keep your rank but would also allow you to spend a lot of time on Coruscant. I would of course assign you the 501st, no need to cause too much disruption. Now ideas and problems aside, how about we go out for the evening to the restaurant I mentioned, you can have an excellent meal together in the open and when I am called away suddenly on urgent business you can have some small measure of privacy. We can still do lunch tomorrow. Oh and Anakin, I have a gift for you. If possible could you come by my offices tomorrow evening."

* * *

Harry looked at the line of bounty hunters at parade rest before him.

"You have all read the file?" At their confirmations he nodded. "Good, your mission is simple, you will go out and track the journeys of Jedi Master Bolla Ropal. You will find every family he came into contact with. Each of you will be provided a crystal which will glow in the presence of a force sensitive individual."

Harry began to pace along the rows. "You will find everyone who your crystal reacts to and offer them a place at a special school for the individual and their families. You will not coerce or intimidate any families, simply inform them of the offer and update us as to the individual. For every individual we confirm as force sensitive that agrees to my offer, you will be paid the bounty fee."

He stopped and fixed them with a burning glare. "If I even hear the faintest rumour of a child being stolen or the matter forced, I will display my unhappiness with the aggressor personally."

Returning to his pacing, he continued. "Should it be necessary to rescue an individual from a hostile situation then you will be reimbursed appropriately for your trouble. Any such instances should be observed and confirmed with ourselves before you take action, unless there is a danger to the target. Remember, no Jedi or any others are to be collecting force sensitive individuals within my borders. If you come across someone without one of your crystals doing so, they are to be treated as a hostile. Capture them if possible. You will likely have already spotted the added bonuses in the file for such instances."

He stopped back where he stated and faced them, his eyes sweeping across the group, meeting the eyes of each individual. "Is that all clear?"

A dozen silent affirmatives were his answer.

"Good. Get to work."

* * *

"Is this enough, or do I need to start cutting off parts?" threatened Darth Maul as he stood over a defeated Mandalorian, one clawed foot resting on the warrior's throat. Around him stood several other Mandalorian soldiers in various states of shock and fear.

With a gasped choke, the Mandalorian beneath his foot gurgled something that resembled a "I give up" whilst clawing at the metal limb.

Savage chuckled darkly from behind Maul, the muscled mountain amused by the fear pouring from the defeated warrior.

"Now then, will you contact your leaders?" questioned Maul in a tone that gave the impression that he really wasn't asking a question. "I have an offer for them in exchange for your hospitality."

One of the watching Mandalorians walked over with a commlink in hand and tossed it to Maul. "The Shadow Mandalore has been watching the entire time. Speak and he will hear."

Maul smiled viciously. "Very well. My name is Maul, I and my brother are force users, but we are not Jedi, you might say we are unaligned. I wish to discuss an alliance so that we both gain that which we desire. Vengeance upon a Jedi for myself and Mandalore for you."

A distorted male voice came from the commlink, "I'm listening."

* * *

Knight Kato triggered the recording at Elia's motion.

"Knight Elia Tanna presiding over the operation. Knight Kato attending as bodyguard for Knight Tanna. Three medical droids attending to assist. Corporal Swift of Recon Squad nine of the Two Seventy Third has kindly volunteered to undergo the procedure."

The Corporal chuckled from the table, "You could have warmed things up first though."

Elia smiled at him, "Oh hush you. We have given him full disclosure and he demanded to be the first, even with all the risks; 'Scout the Way' indeed. The equipment we are using is outdated by fifteen years to allow us to even detect the target using the scans. Scans using more recent tech have shown nothing of the biochip unless specifically keyed to display it. We have found nerve bundles spreading from the biochip into various regions of the brain, removal of these bundles would be too drastic a procedure with little potential gain. Removal of the core chip will leave these bundles but I don't believe that they will have no further effect upon the subject. We have informed the Corporal that there is a fity-fifty chance he will not survive the operation, he still volunteered."

The Corporal smirked at her, "Shit like this is what I was made for General."

"Not quite like this, but I do appreciate your assistance. Now, blood pressure looks good, heart rates steady and healthy, oxygen saturation is excellent. Temperature is at thirty six point eight degrees, and a local anaesthetic has been placed on the region in question, so everything looks good. I am ready to begin, are you ready for this?"

"Ma'am, you do realise it sounds really creepy to hear you discussing the matter like I'm unconscious, don't you?"

"I do realise that, unfortunately we need to document everything to make sure nothing is missed."

"Fair enough General, creepy talking aside, time for you to get to work."

"As you wish. I will mark that you have signified your readiness." She placed the scalpel to the side of his head and began to cut. "I am cutting back the skin to allow the bone cutters access, once the biochip is exposed, we can investigate further and see if we can remove it safely. If not we will restore the bone flap and seal up the surgery. I'd rather not take any risks if you don't mind."

The corporal chuckled "I don't mind at all Ma'am."

Stepping back she watched as the droids began to remove the required section of the skull that would allow the small biochip to be seen. A small buzz-saw hummed as it lowered itself through the bone before cutting a line through the hard protective with inhuman precision. The smell of antiseptic and blood mixed in the air before an acrid scent of burning bone began to permeate the room.

"Don't mind the smell," commented Elia as the drill continued to slice open Corporal Swift's skull, "It's just the friction of blade along your skull. As soon as the blade ha… never mind… it's finished. The air conditioner should clear the smell shortly. Your skull has been opened and I can see the biochip."

Kato's voice snagged her attention. "Force! That looks... nasty."

"General, can you not say shit like that whilst there's a hole in my skull please."

"Sorry, it's just..."

Elia moved up. "It is rather ugly Corporal, but don't worry, biotech usually looks like that. Still, it appears almost cancerous in nature. I am unsure as to how it all works, but I believe I can remove it without too much hassle."

The Corporal shuddered as she touched it with a probe. "I don't feel good. I can taste… coconut."

One of the droids spoke up at that point. "Core temperature rising rapidly, unknown biological detected in blood attacking organs, target nerve bundles are triggering at random causing rising levels of pain, subject's liver and kidneys are failing. Subject is beginning to go into seizures."

The Corporal shuddered once more and then his muscles suddenly tensed as he screamed in agony. His head was locked in place although she could hear the table creaking under the strain from the struggling patient. Elia quickly grabbed her scalpel and began cutting to remove the chip.

"Get it out!" Kato yelled.

"I'm trying!" Elia yelled in response.

With a ping, one of the arm restraints snapped and his hand began to wildly flail in all directions, the screaming having become a single stream of words and agonised howls.

"Hold him down!" Elia yelled as she tried to cut the chip free without damaging its surroundings.

Kato used his skill with the force to pin the struggling soldier to the table, even then he was surprised at the strength of the soldier trying to get free.

But then, Corporal Swift stopped screaming. His flailing arm went limp and fell into his lap. His other limbs relaxed underneath their restraints. For a second, Kato believed that Elia had saved the man. Then he realized the truth.

Corporal Swift was dead.

Silence cloaked the room as Elia staggered back from the dead clone; a lump of organic matter in one hand and a bloody scalpel in the other. In the wake of the sudden complication, only Elia's heavy and laboured breathing could be heard.

After a few tense moments Kato focused on her face, grabbing her shoulders to bring her attention to him. "What happened? Elia. What happened?"

"He's dead, I felt him, he was grateful. Right at the end as he faded, he was at peace." She muttered sombrely before she carelessly tossed the lump of brain into the pan waiting for it. "I killed him and he thanked me for it."

"Can we find out what is held on the chip?"

Elia sniffed for a second or two before responding, "I don't think so. I had to cut it in two at the end to get it out. Whatever was in it is probably damaged beyond recovery." She turned to the droids, motioning towards the body. "Perform a full autopsy on corporal swift. Get me samples of the unknown biological tissue and run every single test that I've predefined on the samples. I want to know everything about it."

Kato waited until she turned back to him, his voice gentle so as to not upset her further. "I know this sounds crass, but if I supplied you with another clone, do you think that you could you get the chip out without killing him?"

Elia took a step back and leaned heavily onto a nearby table, all the while refusing to make eye contact with Kato. After an awkward silence, it became clear that Elia was not going to answer Kato.

"… Elia?"

"…"

"…"

"I don't know, maybe, yes. Yes I can."

"Are you okay?"

She chuckled mirthlessly, "No. No I am not. I just killed a man in an experiment and he thanked me for it." She fell to her knees as the tears began to fall, blood stained gloves covering her face as her sobs echoed around the still room.

00000

Hondo clicked his tongue in annoyance as he looked down at his captured Jedi in frustration. Ahsoka Tano, in response, glared balefully at Hondo but said nothing.

"You have cost me greatly today, young one. And since you lost me so much profit, I am left with no choice…" He motioned to his men and the one holding her arms kicked her in the back of the knee as his partner clubbed her on the back of the head with the butt of his gun, knocking her unconscious.

Hondo sat on the step before her still form, as he rubbed her lips with this thumb, "…But to turn you into profit."

Motioning to the guards, they dragged off the unconscious Jedi to a cell.

A short while later, Hondo entered into his private bedroom and typed something into a datapad. His ship would sent the signal while he took a shower.

Twenty minutes later, a response beeped at him and he opened the link.

Xora smiled at Hondo, "I presume everything went well then?"

Hondo smiled back at Xora, a massive shit-eating grin plastered on his face, "Absolutely not! In fact, I do believe that we have a major problem."

"Oh? How so?"

"The Jedi didn't co-operate when we arrived."

Xora rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Send me a full report, all the details. For now give me the basics."

"Well, you see. I do not have the droid, nor the crystals. I lost several men, including specialists who will be difficult and therefore expensive to replace. My nephew has been spaced, so I'll need to explain to my sister about that and we have Ahsoka Tano in my brig."

"Did I not inform everyone that if they encounter her, they are to leave her alone? Were my instructions not clear?"

"How are we supposed to leave her alone when she was actively defending that droid?" shot Hondo back at the holographic form of Xora, "She killed my men, chased us as we ran away from her, damn near killed me, and boarded my ship when we tried to get the hell away from her. Would you have preferred me to space her instead?"

"No… You likely did the best you could in the situation. Let her go and we'll have to find another way to acquire the data."

"No."

Xora raised an eyebrow at that. "Pardon?"

"I said no. This cost me greatly, in reputation as well as coin. I cannot and will not just let her loose. My gang is not a charity, we work for profit."

"Then we are at an impasse. I dislike such things."

"As do I, but I am a business man first of all."

"…How much?"

"I do not know. It depends entirely upon the bidding because I need to pay my men. I was thinking a million as an opening bid. I wonder how much the Republic and Separatist's will offer in order to get their hands on her? Or that Hutt she upset? How far will you go? I will inform you of the date. Don't be late." Cutting the comms he shuddered at the look of malice she had given him.

"She reminds me of my third wife", he muttered as he returned to the bridge.

* * *

"You called for me Father?"

Harry nodded from behind his desk. "I have a mission for you. Vital importance. Top Secret. Don't fail. All that mumbo-jumbo." He nudged the datapad across the desk towards Montu.

He consumed the information before nodding in understanding, "James always did enjoy the unusual records. I take it that you wish for me to find it?"

"Exactly. Pick your choice of ship from the fleet, you will have my seal for authorisation. There is no rush, so take your time and make sure it's of true value."

"As you wish Father."

"Oh, and Montu, send in Set for me will you."

Montu nodded before leaving.

Harry sat in the dark room, staring at his reflection in the screen until Set arrived a few minutes later.

"You summoned me Father."

"I did indeed Set. I have a mission of great importance, a final line of defence should all else fail. I wish to give you first refusal at it."

"I would accept any such chance to serve you Father. Give me your orders and I shall do my utmost to complete them."

Harry smiled sadly at his son. "I will tell you the mission and then you will tell me your decision." He slid across a datapad, "This is my Ragnarok Protocol. Read it and make sure you understand everything within before making your decision."

Set nodded before linking with the pad, taking a moment to review the data. Repeating the process for confirmation, he nodded in approval and bowed to his Father, "I accept this duty Father, for however long it may require me to perform it."

Harry smiled sadly and nodded to his son. "Thank you Set, I pray you will never be needed, but I know that our future is in good hands should you need to fulfil those orders. You will be assigned the Ragnarok battlegroup; they're freshly built and unassigned so no one will miss them. The HK units from Belsavis will be assigned to your command, update their systems and bring them up to speed. Nearly the entire stock of our Cortosis will be assigned to you to use as you see fit. The medical droids and genetic sources will be assigned just before you leave. The organic material will be placed under stasis charms within cryogenic hibernation. Make sure you have a way to contact James, he will keep you up to date with scientific progresses and current events."

* * *

Xora looked at the images of her Captains before her. "As I said, I understand Hondo's position, but he failed to capture the droid and then broke our agreement. So my response will be simple. Destroy everything that belongs to him. No sanctuary, no favours, no respite. Reduce him to the very basics. I will allow him one ship, the crew that can fit within and no base. Once he is brought to heel, then he can rebuild."

Sol Sixxa raised an eyebrow in surprise, "You would let him live and restore himself?"

Xora smiled, "Call it a small modicum of mercy for his years of service. More accurately, Hondo is good, he is skilled and incredibly lucky. I will not waste talent unless they push too far, nor will I destroy him utterly for this. I just want to make sure he gets the message."

Avlin Varn smirked as she asked the question the others were thinking of, "That being?"

Xora looked at the captains around her, making eye contact with each of them as she did so. "You don't fuck with me or mine."

* * *

Mehen waited until his charge was at rest in her chambers before asking his question. "Why did you not tell Father of the Tano matter?"

Xora chuckled from her comfy chair, her eyes watching the world turn below. "Do you believe he trusts me?"

Mehen nodded, "I do not believe, I know."

Xora smiled at him, "What do you think your Father would do if he was to find out about the matter?"

Mehen shrugged his shoulder in what she recognised as a form of uncomfortable wince, "He would go and rescue her."

Xora nodded as she poured herself a glass of wine, "Exactly. The Jade Imperium is still young. He must be seen amongst the people, guarding them from the War and other dangers. He must be seen as benevolent and mighty. How do you think the people would react if he ran off to rescue a Jedi of all things?"

"The Phoenix Imperium, and from watching you and reading your reports I imagine it would create… doubt?"

Xora chuckled, "It will be the Jade Imperium within the month and you know it," she swirled her glass, watching as the liquid span within, "They need to trust him and that he will put them first beyond his own interests. So, rather than distract him and allow his, what did he call it? His saving people thing to get in the way, I will take the burden on my own shoulders."

"And if he finds out? He will be angry."

"I know, but better angry at me for protecting him than having to watch all our work fall to ruin."

"It will not stop his anger."

"It will pass. I can live with him angry with me… I can't live with him dead."

"You believe it will be a trap?"

"Hondo has made it into one. Its why I have done what I have, there is no way that all the factions won't throw what they can into the mix in hope of removing enemy pieces from the game. In all likelihood the site of the auction will have at least two hostile fleets ready to fight to the death over Padawan Tano. Why risk the King when we can just lose a few pawns whilst others lose Knights, Bishops and Rooks."

"And Tano? What piece is she?"

"Right now? The board, but she could become a Bishop or more."

"On who's side?"

Xora smiled as she looked up at her bodyguard and strangely, her friend, "He's spent time with her directly and taught her just enough, who do you think?"

Silence crept over the room as Xora returned to her win. She took a sip of her wine as she returned to watching the world move below and sighed, "How can she not?"

* * *

Ahsoka watched the feasting pirates for a few minutes from her floating shackles. They had knocked her unconscious moments after the whole airlock escapade and when she came to she had been suspended in the air like a trophy. For the most part, the pirates ignored her, but she knew that they were enjoying watching her suffer; otherwise they wouldn't be eating their meals in the brig.

Eventually, she had gotten tired of waiting and called out to Hondo in as diplomatic a voice as she could muster.

"It would be wise if you would let me go."

Hondo chuckled as he turned, pushing the females from his lap. "No, it would be unprofitable if I would let you go; and why would I do something as short-sighted as that?"

"If you do not let me go, you will wish you have been born a protocol droid."

"Sometimes I do that anyways," Hondo snorted in amusement, "but really, you are in no position to make threats, young lady. No matter how powerful or scary your friends may be. We are well beyond their reach here. Eventually you will be free, once you have been sold to the highest bidder to cover the costs of my men that you have killed."

Hondo rose to his feet and sauntered over to his captive prisoner, all the while maintaining a look of casual indifference, "You look stressed, are you thirsty?" he asked as he waved his mug of alcohol before her face. "A drink, perhaps?"

He put the mug just at the edge of her reach and as she tried to drink pulled it away. "Sorry, but I do not like to share."

At the pirates collective laughter at her plight, she gathered her frustration and anger and bottled it down, fuelling her magic as she called upon both it and the Force to sustain her for as long as she could.

After an hour of watching the pirates come and go, all the while poking fun at her in hushed voices, she spoke up again at Hondo, who was content to simply bask in the spotlight with his female servants. "You know the republic won't pay a ransom for me, and the Separatists can't be trusted. They'll betray you and kill us both."

At that, Hondo broke into an outrageous laughter. The rest of his crew present also broke into laughter. The brig reached a dull roar of jovial humour before Hondo raised his hand and silenced the room instantly.

Then he yelled at her.

"Do you think I don't know that, my dear?! That is why I am holding an auction for you! They will have no choice but to attend, if only to prevent you falling into unscrupulous claws! With all in attendance, they will not dare act against me for fear of the others taking the opportunity to take what they desire!"

The crowd remained silent as Hondo stomped up to the floating form of Ahsoka Tano and wagged a finger in front of her face, taunting her with a predator's smile. The tension in the room was palpable as he poked her forehead and spoke again, this time in a far more controlled and hushed voice.

"And at the end of the day, once I have received my money, the highest bidder will receive the coordinates to the desolate planet that I have marooned you on. By the time they find you, my men, my money, and my body will be long gone from your desolate rock and if the bidders decide to betray me then they will never find you while you still breathe. So, for your sake, you had better hope that they don't betray me."

Hondo was right in her face; eyes almost glowed with fury and anger. His tone continued to grow quieter and quieter until he was barely speaking above a whisper. Ahsoka couldn't help but feel unnerved by the pure wrath that saturated his voice and disturbed everyone in the room. It was a reminder that Hondo, and not her, was in control of the situation.

He spoke again, this time extremely quietly but still loud enough for the entire room to hear his threat, "If they don't pay me, then you will spend the rest of your life alone – stranded and isolated for the rest of your miserable life on some empty and lifeless rock."

Hondo turned away and made his way back to his chair, waving a hand at her in dismissal before resuming his monologue in a louder tone, almost as if he was talking to himself and not her, "The republic will not wish to pay, but they cannot afford not to pay, your master and his allies will see to that. The Separatists are no friends of mine, but they will desire you and your secrets more. Don't ask me why, but Dooku holds such a grudge against me since our little 'I-held-him-hostage' affair."

He scoffed in annoyance at the thought. "The Imperium is new, but wealthy. There is also their leaderships little rule regarding you. I imagine they will be willing to pay most handsomely for you. But, I don't like the green one, she upsets me. So, the truth is, I have my sights set on more nefarious criminals than I. An invitation has been sent to all the major criminal players, including a few hutts, just so that you are aware, but my main bidder will be a specific businessman, who, I hear, pays handsomely for a Jedi. Their resources are as impressive as their finances, but what they would pay for a Jedi", he whistled at the image in mind, "A female Jedi at that! It just makes my little shrivelled heart quiver in joy"

"You don't scare me, Hondo."

As the pirate's burst into laughter at her comment, Hondo snorted, "No? Well that is a pity, but that was no threat or story. That was a warning. I am but a humble and small purveyor of crime. There are much bigger monsters out there than my men and I. Many here have already been warned not to take a taste of you as it were. Would you prefer for me not to have done that?"

As her eyes widened in fear of the implications, Hondo nodded sagely. "Fear not my little Jedi, you are safe as long as I am around. I wouldn't want the merchandise damaged; it would reduce your value."

* * *

Count Dooku stood in his personal room on board his flag ship, inhaling deeply through his nose and exhaling through his mouth. It was a simply technique, designed to calm his mind and steady his body. Already he could feel the tension bleeding away into the Force. When he was sure of his confident façade, he triggered the direct comms link and waited for it to connect with his agent.

As the image flickered into being, he looked down at General Grievous and did his best to hide his surprise at the fact the cyborg general was not kneeling before his image.

"General, I have work for you."

The General bowed his head, "What is your command?"

Dooku internally scowled at the sudden lack of respect; perhaps Grievous was in need of a lesson to remind him of his place. But that could wait for now. For a moment he felt a pang of regret for Ventress's destruction, she would have been useful in a situation like this. "I have been invited to an auction. You will attend in my place and acquire the prize. I am transmitting the details now."

Grievous looked over the file and his eyes widened in surprise. "Is this a trap?"

Dooku chuckled, "If it is, spring it and ensure your victory. But I doubt it. Ohnaka is a slippery worm, but he is not stupid, she will be there and the bidding will be high and vicious."

"Am I to bid or simply acquire her?"

"Do not bother with the formalities, just acquire her and remind Ohnaka of his place in the galaxy. You will need to leave for the event immediately, I doubt any of the other factions will be slow in attending. You may use this as a trap for the other guests if you wish."

"I will enjoy carving my vengeance from her flesh."

"No. She is to be unharmed and well cared for. You will acquire her and bring her here, to me directly."

"But she…"

"You have your orders General. Do I need to repeat them to you?"

"No. I understand. I will arrive within the day and complete my mission."

"Good, bring her to me as quickly as you can General, do not fail me."

* * *

The door opened and the Falleen Captain entered leading the guests. It had taken a while to find this location, but Darth Maul felt that the anticipation was worth it as he strode into the dark chamber in a manner that stated he already owned the building. Savage followed at a respectful distance.

The Black Sun Vigos all glanced at each other before the one at the head of the table rumbled a query, "Why do you come here?"

Darth Maul, stood tall and proud, he knew that this was a loaded question and that his response would determine the way the Black Sun acted. In all likelihood, they would react the same way regardless, but they had already made a grave mistake and given him control of their organization simply by letting him into the same room as them.

They masqueraded as powerful leaders, but really they were just a bunch of idiots waiting to be culled.

"We seek an army." declared Maul as he continued to stare at the head Vigo who had inquired of him.

"You morons, we are not mercenaries." the leader snarled before turning back to his documents at the table. Without even looking at them, he barked an order to the guards surrounding Maul and Savage, "Dispose of them. Keep their ships and weapons."

Savage used the Force and with a blur of motion, he stood before one of the guards, he grabbed the man's skull and squeezed, the other guards freezing at the sheer speed and power displayed, his victims screams ended abruptly with a sickening crunch and squelch noise.

Maul simply raised an eyebrow as they stepped back in shock, his eyes never leaving the leaders.

"This is your last opportunity to join us."

"Quiet!" snarled the vigo to the right of the head, standing tall and proud in an attempt to intimidate. Such a childish attempt in comparison to his old Masters simple gestures and words to impose fear in his prey. "We are the Black Sun!" The other Vigo's each rose to their feet in support of his words as he continued, "We will..."

Maul ignored the rest of the speech with a sigh of annoyance, he shook his head slightly as he motioned to Savage. A moment later a red blur flashed across the room, the lightsaber floating back to Savages hand as the bodies fell.

"You will all be disposed of in the nearest trash compactor because of your arrogance and stupidity," sighed Maul as he turned to his escort. "It would seem that the decision to join us is now yours."

Ambition coupled with fear and the Falleen Captain turned to look Maul directly in the eyes as he responded. "After careful consideration, we will join you."

"Excellent," Maul snarled at him, "Show us your supplies."

* * *

Across the galaxy, in an apartment in Coruscant, nestled in a small apartment that had become their sanctuary in the world, Padme Amidala pulled the cover up around her and her husband further. The night was cold, but he was warm.

"Have you considered Palpatine's offer?"

Anakin wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "I won't abandon the Jedi unless they force the issue. I am going to stay and help to the best of my abilities. Besides, I have a Padawan that I need to finish training as well."

Padme sighed as she settled deeper into his grasp. "With all the chaos, the unrest increasing and the issues across the galaxy, I can't help but feel something major is about to happen."

Anakin snorted in amusement, "More major than the birth of an Imperium, an assassination attempt on the Chancellor, a virus crippling galactic travel, and, from what I've heard, the embezzling of money in amounts so immense that the banking clans are having fits?"

Padme hit him on the shoulder she was snuggled against, "Yes. Worse than all that. Ahsoka is out there without support with all this happening. Jade seems more than interested in her and they've spoken in person more than a few times. This attack shows how ruthless and callous he is to everyone, not just his military enemies. I'm worried about her. Does she even know what is happening? What if someone tried something? What if Jade went after her?"

Anakin raised an eyebrow, in a manner similar to his old master, in amusement before responding, "Really? That's the worst you can think of happening? I don't trust Jade, but even I have to admit that he doesn't seem to have any nefarious plans involving her. He would probably just send her on a ship right back to the Jedi temple in a few weeks."

Padme's response was a single raised eyebrow to match his own whilst she stared at him.

Wincing slightly at the implied pain and danger of his words, he nodded. "Yeah... fair enough. Forget I said that. I'm sure she's fine. I'll try to comm Ahsoka and warn her as best I can first thing in the morning. Now, get some sleep."

* * *

On board the bridge of his Venator class star destroyer, Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi paced restlessly as he watched the lifeless holo-emitter that would hopefully connect him to the Jedi council. His comm signal was currently filtering through an advanced screener, designed to act as a barrier to any potential computer viruses that could disable his vessel and strand them in the middle of nowhere. But it was a slow process and, in the current situation, painfully so.

The last weeks had been exceptionally trying on the seasoned Jedi master. All throughout the galaxy the warfront had ground to a halt as Jade's incredible computer virus mercilessly shut down fleets on both ends. Only a few scattered fleets, Obi-Wan's included, had managed to avoid the worm.

In the wake of the forced reprieve to fighting, Obi-Wan Kenobi found himself unable to enjoy the temporary peace while it lasted.

A loud ringing alerted him to his communication's connection, so he patted down his robes and made himself presentable before addressing the Jedi Council.

"Good evening, council. I'm sorry for waking you all but I have urgent news to report." started Kenobi as he did his best to remain stoic and calm.

The blue, holographic form of Master Mundi leant forward as he bowed politely and spoke up. "Master Kenobi, the time of day is no matter. All who can attend are present. But based on the timing, I presume you are reporting a victory against General Grievous? With the Nav Virus causing chaos, you are currently the only truly active warfront at this time and we could do with some good news."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard whilst his other hand fiddled with his belt. "Unfortunately not, master Mundi. I'm afraid that I have some bad news to report. Padawan Ahsoka Tano has been captured by Pirates. They are going to auction her off to the highest bidder."

Silence reigned in the communication chamber

"I'm afraid we didn't quite get that, Master Kenobi," replied Mace Windu after a long and pregnant silence. "Please repeat what you just said."

"… Padawan Ahsoka Tano has been kidnapped by pirates."

Mace Windu visibly palmed his face as Master Kolar spoke up. "Pirates? Of course pirates." he sighed deeply in frustration, "And what of her charges? The younglings, the ship, and the professor? Her mission was simple; bring the younglings back to Coruscant on a slow route that would allow them the time for lessons to build their lightsaber's. How could she mess things up so much in so small a time? When did pirates even come into this mix?!"

Obi-Wan winced before nodding to his peer, "Master Kolar. The younglings are safe as is the Professor, their ship is heavily damaged but still working. They have called for assistance, which I will be providing as soon as possible. I ordered them to wait for our arrival. The main issue is the fact that the pirates are auctioning off Padawan Tano."

Master Hran coughed in shock, "Would you mind telling us how you know that Master Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan at least had the dignity to look embarrassed for a moment before straightened up and spoke to the Council clearly and calmly. "The pirate Hondo Ohnaka is selling Padawan Ahsoka Tano to the highest bidder in an auction, both the Jedi as well as the Republic have been invited. I have received the invitations with the instructions to send them along to the appropriate authorities. In addition to ourselves, the Confederacy and the Jade Imperium, as well as several Hutts and other interested parties have been invited. I imagine the Zygerrians alone would be happy to get their hands on her, never mind Grievous or Dooku. Force help us if Jade got hold of her."

Master Windu frowned as he pondered the best course of action. "Knowing general Grievous, he will simply crash the auction with a confederacy fleet. We cannot risk Padawan Tano falling into enemy hands. This will require a rescue mission, what do we have in the region able to assist?"

Master Mundi sighed, "Beyond Master Kenobi and his force, not much at all. His battle force is the only group in the area still capable of faster than light travel."

"Very well," replied Master Windu, "General Kenobi, your forces are to arrive at the auction and secure Padawan Tano. Any available reinforcements will be sent to the area; however they will most likely not arrive in time. As such, you are likely on your own for this mission. We wish you luck, and we will notify Knight Skywalker as to the situation as soon as he returns to the temple."

"No! No! Don't tell him anything!"

Obi-Wan looked mortified at blurting his response at the Council, their eyes widened in shock at his outburst. Obi-Wan coughed to clear his throat before continuing in his usual refined and calm demeanour. "Esteemed Masters, that is probably not a good idea. I would like you to ponder the ramifications of informing Knight Skywalker."

Master Shaak Ti spoke up, "I see no reason not to inform him."

Obi-Wan smiled beatifically at Master Ti, "I trained Knight Skywalker. I can predict his possible responses. Upon being notified, he will demand to go on a rescue mission despite the fact that his battle group is currently waylaid in orbit around Coruscant. Because of that, both he and his R2 unit will sneak into a secure bay, steal a fighter and wipe its systems. He will then do the astrogation math by hand, take the immense risks that would involve and jump system to system, brute forcing the nav computer to get him to his target. For most people, even Jedi, this would be suicide with the distance involved and possible errors, but I've seen Anakin do crazier things than this and succeed."

At the Councils winces and nods of understanding, he continued.

"He will then arrive in the system and infiltrate the pirate auction site in an attempt rescue his padawan, in the process causing immense amounts of property damage and fires there will be several explosions and extensive damage to the local infrastructure. He would then escape, most likely in one of the pirate vessels, aiming to reach the nearest support which will be this fleet."

"Assuming he succeeds, Anakin will likely arrive in the middle of a battle, having forgotten the issue of the virus and how it spreads between communication systems, and promptly infect both sides at the same time, thus forcing the battle to continue until one side has annihilated the other due to the lack of retreat options. Presuming we win, we'll be stuck in the black waiting for the virus to clear or a cure to be discovered for it having taken heavy losses in men and ships. Depending on how bad it is we might last 6 months if we ration supplies. Or, we all die and Grievous wins on that front but is also stuck in the black until the virus is dealt with, he at least won't have the same supply issues to worry about and can lead his forces from his stranded position. I can think of three for four more scenarios but those are the two most likely to occur if he is informed."

Master Kolar sat back in his chair, an exasperated sigh escaping his lips. "Can someone please explain to me why we allow Skywalker to rampage across the galaxy in our name if that's his usual actions?"

Master Hran rubbed his eyes and bridge of his nose, "Because he usually causes that chaos amongst the separatists and for the most part wins every conflict he is involved in. His luck, whilst damned, is also in our favour."

Kenobi was sure that he could hear Master Windu's teeth grinding in annoyance at the reminder, even over the holonet. He took a deep breath, to gather his resolve before forging on, wincing at the betrayal of his Padawan.

"So let me rescue her. We tell Knight Skywalker nothing and only inform him after the mission is successful. We can even get Ahsoka to tell him; so that he will direct his irritation at her, not us. Regardless, I can lead a rescue mission with an adequate force should a more military assault be required. I may even be able to resolve the issue without conflict, though I doubt it if Grievous is involved. All of these are better options. I can also begin immediately, thus reducing the chances of others arriving and the auction occurring."

Master Ti raised an eye marking in thought, "What about Grievous, would he not hurry as you plan to?"

Obi-wan shook his head, "No. I received the invite directly, I would imagine Dooku would receive the CIS's invitation. In all likelihood he would ponder the options before ordering Grievous to deal with the matter. I believe that I will have a small head start if I leave now. It's not the best advantage, but I'll take any edge I can."

"In light of Master Kenobi's rousing testimony of Skywalker's abilities, I concur with his plan." sighed Master Windu tiredly as he addressed the council, "Knight Skywalker is not to be informed at this time. Should the issue arise, we will inform the Senate that we are handling this and they have no need to worry."

He turned cold eyes on Kenobi. "Master Kenobi, your mission is simple: rescue Padawan Tano. She must not fall into enemy hands; you will prevent this from occurring with any means necessary, do you understand?"

Master Hran almost leapt to his feet. "Surely such actions will not be necessary?"

Master Windu's eyes never left Kenobi's image. "This is not a matter for debate. Tano knows too much critical information to allow her to fall into enemy hands. Master Kenobi, do you understand?"

Obi-wan nodded, a great weight had settled on his shoulders, exhaustion and distaste coloured his words, "I understand."

Closing the link, Obi-Wan turned to face the captain of his ship as well as Cody, his trusted clone commander, "I will leave at once. Cody, I want you to prep a squad, infiltration specialists would be preferable. We'll likely need speeder bikes as well. Get the rest of the forces ready on high alert as well. Knowing my luck, things are going to get dicey. I need you here to keep things under control until I get back."

Commander Cody just rolled his eyes, "Another day in paradise."

* * *

Later that morning, when it was a respectable hour on Coruscant, Anakin Skywalker found himself sitting in a medical office next to the supreme chancellor. With a confused look upon his face, Anakin ignored the medical staff waiting to one side and instead focused his attention on the armoured gauntlet floating inside of a sterile field.

"What is that?"

Sidious chuckled as he moved beside the young man. "That, my young friend, is the height of galactic cybernetic technology and ancient knowledge long hidden from the galaxy."

Confusion coloured Anakin's words, "I don't understand, it's just a cybernetic hand."

Sidious smirked as he waved Anakins words away, "Allow me the sales pitch. Its surface is armoured with cortosis. It can block a lightsaber or a blaster with little to no damage, a lightsaber blade would collapse on contact. The internal mechanisms in the grip are as strong as a fully grown male Wookie and with a thought, it will act as a Mandalorian crushgaunt. With the right upgrades to a ship, the limb can act as a bridge between the pilot and the ships systems, enhancing your reaction time and controlling the systems. That would require a little more surgery though to implant the necessary sections to your central nervous system."

"It has full tactile sensation, although it has inhibitors to prevent distraction in combat, it would be like wearing an armoured suit at that point. The sensors would be trained through a few test fights to recognize combat situations and how your body reacts. Unfortunately it will need to be keyed directly for its owner. It can also act as a shock gauntlet, charging itself using kinetic energy from normal movement and body heat or a power cell. On top of all that it contains a local transmitter with authorisation and access codes as if you were a member of my direct staff or my bodyguard. No door will stay locked, unless you wish it or if there is a mechanical lock of some kind, and a mechanical lock wouldn't slow down its owner much."

"So, what do you think?"

"It's amazing. I thought crushgaunts were illegal?"

"I'm the supreme chancellor, my boy," laughed Palpatine, "you don't get to be in my position without having a few benefits. So, are you ready?"

"Ready?"

Palpatine smiled and nodded at his young companion. "Indeed, if you are going to use this, then it will need to replace your current cyber arm. Why? Who did you think this was for?"

"I wasn't sure. It feels a bit weird to me though, I'm not sure if I like the sensation."

"Hmm? Oh, that's likely the crushgaunt aspect. To get the components correct, we had to use a museum piece from my collection. It has a bit of a history, perhaps you're sensing that?"

Anakin shook his head as he chuckled, "Sorry, all the stress of Jade's forced standstill is getting to me and Ahsoka wouldn't answer her calls this morning. I'm kind of worried for her... Sorry, I got distracted for a moment. I suppose now's as good a time as any to do this."

"That's the spirit Anakin, now this is my personal Doctor Rahn, Rahn, this is my trusted friend Anakin Skywalker."

* * *

"You have to admit that it was pretty funny, you were all like 'oh no! You can't actually do that to me!' It was gold!" laughed Hondo as me mimicked Ahsoka's voice, his men roaring in laughter. Ahsoka Tano was still in her bonds, but they had moved her off the ship and paraded her around a small space port before settling into what could best be described as a closed off amphitheatre, "You didn't actually expect me to leave you stranded on some miserable planet did you? Please, I am not that much of a savage!"

Ahsoka glared balefully at Hondo but said nothing as his men continued to jovially celebrate the upcoming auction. It had been several days since she had last moved and by now her shoulders were getting tremendously stiff. Still, it would not do to rise to Hondo's taunting.

Thanks to his drunken buffoonery, she now had some semblance of control over the situation.

Ahsoka brought her focus back to the chamber with the pirates laughing and joking, Hondo was well into his cups by the way he was acting. There at Hondo's waist sat her lightsabers, and her wand next to them. Still locked away by her restraints, she was unable to reach them, but it was only a matter of time before an opportunity arose.

Hours later, one of the servant girls decided to take pity upon Ahsoka when she believe that the pirates were too drunk to notice. It was a Weequay female who carried a cup of water intending to give it to Ahsoka; a small mercy for the girl who had spent days suspended in the air.

Quietly thanking the servant, Ahsoka took a sip and felt along the edge of the female's mind - little will and spirit remained, the woman was a servant and little more than a slave. Frowning at what she needed to do, Ahsoka settled her mind into the sensations from Zygerria, drawing the power into her mouth. Her eyes boring into the females, Ahsoka whispered a few words, and saturated the Jedi mind trick with her newfound magic ability.

"Quietly release me."

The female shuddered as the power flooded across her mind, tearing through what few mental defences existed. For a moment the servant did nothing and Ahsoka began to doubt she had succeeded. But soon after the females eyes glazed over and she moved to the controls, tapping on buttons that she truthfully could not understand. The gentle hum of Ahsoka's restraints shut down and the Weequay lowered Ahsoka to her feet before grabbing a cloak from a nearby bench to wrap around her mistress.

Ahsoka gasped at how draining that magic was, she barely had the strength to stand and it was slow in returning to her. She could feel more than a trickle of power flowing from her into her new accomplice. As Ahsoka thought how to get her equipment, she felt a strange tug on the magical connection. The female, without saying a word, moved next to Hondo and poured the man a drink before she pickpocketed the items from his belt and returned to Ahsoka.

Ahsoka opened her mouth to ask for the way out when the female nodded and motioned to a side door. Ahsoka was about to follow her through the exit before something familiar prickled at the edge of her senses. For some reason, Ahsoka hadn't even realized her presence until just now. And that really irritated her on so many levels.

"… what are you doing here?"

"Ahsoka!" Jedi youngling Katooni cried out, her voice unheard by the pirates as music filled the air. "We're here to rescue you! We have a plan and everything!"

Ahsoka just stared at Katooni for a moment in pure disbelief before she shook her head and muttered something about 'Skyguy was right'. Then she grabbed Katooni by the shoulder and pointed towards the exit where her Weequay accomplice was waiting.

"You can tell me about it later," she commented in a chipper tone and a false smile, "We need to get out of here right now, before Hondo notices I'm gone. Where's the ship?

"They dropped us off on the outskirts of the town and are waiting in a forest nearby. Hondo doesn't know we landed."

"Seriously?" questioned Ahsoka, "doesn't he own this town? You know what… Don't answer that. Let's just go before he notices I'm gone."

"WHERE IS MY JEDI?! SOMEBODY FIND HER AND BRING HER BACK THIS INSTANT!"

"… Damn it…"

* * *

Blaster fire peppered the ground around her as Ahsoka, Katooni, and the Weequay servant burst through the front door of the amphitheatre and into the quiet streets of the space port. Behind them, a dozen of Hondo's somewhat drunk pirates were failing miserably to keep up with the escapees.

"That's our ride!" shouted Katooni before pointing to an armored speeder parked across the street. Several other younglings were waiting in the speeder, already moving to start the engines of the vehicle.

"Good, I hope you can drive because we are leaving now." declared Ahsoka as she reached the edge of the speeder and ignited her lightsabers. Green and Yellow lit into life as she spun her blades and began to deflect blaster shots from the rapidly advancing pirates. Several bolts pinged across her blades as Katooni and the Weequay jumped into the overcrowded speeder, and then Ahsoka stepped onto the rear seat of the speeder and it erupted into speed.

As the speeder drove into the night and it became clear that they were not being chased, Ahsoka deactivated her blades and slumped into the back seat of the speeder. Taking deep breaths as she took stock of the situation, Ahsoka found herself in a strange company. The Weequay servant was driving with Zatt riding in the front seat and giving her directions. Petro in the back seat next to her and Katooni was sitting next to him.

"How do you feel?" asked Petro as he handed her a flask of water.

Ahsoka graciously accepted the offered drink, shakily drinking it all to wet her parched throat before turning to the youngling, "Better now. I could pretend to be angry, but you were all very brave. "

Petro looked ashamed, refusing to make eye contact, "We disobeyed orders."

Ahsoka snorted in amusement. "If there is one thing I learnt from my Master, it was that sometimes doing the right thing, means bending the rules."

Petro said nothing as he moved to the front of the speeder. He dialled some buttons on a communications console and opened the link. "Ganodi, come in please. Get the ship ready, we need to take off."

Static filled the air as the speeder continued to drive through the night.

"Ganodi?" asked Petro again as he spoke into the comm link. After a short wait that was met only with static, he turned to Ahsoka, "She's not answering."

"Keep trying, I'm sure she's just fine." commanded Ahsoka, belaying her own nervousness. Any number of things could have gone wrong with the youngling's crippled ship and the fact that they had actually landed in the middle of a space port was probably a bad sign. But still, she needed to keep up a brave front lest the younglings begin to worry and panic.

"Right." agreed Petro as he triggered the comms again, "Ganodi, if you're there please pick up. We secured Ahsoka and are approaching the rendezvous point."

To the collective relief of everyone in the speeder, the eccentric electronic voice of Professor Huyang rang out across the speakers. "Sorry for the delay students! I'm afraid that Ganodi is currently occupied in the restroom at the moment."

"Professor!" shouted a young female frantically from the other side of the speakers, apparently she was not entertained by the fact that he was sharing her every actions.

"Ganodi!" shouted Petro into the comms, eliciting a wince and a glare from Zatt as he pulled his ear away from Petro's mouth.

"Don't shout." ordered Ahsoka dryly before she took the comms away from Petro and ordered him into the back seat. "Ganodi. Its Ahsoka."

"Oh! Padawan Tano! We rescued you!"

Ahsoka smirked at the awe in Ganodi's voice. "Almost. We need you to get us home. Are you ready to pick us up?"

"Just tell me what I need to do."

"Okay, fire up the engines and meet us at..." she quickly typed in the numbers that Zatt supplied her, "these co-ordinates."

"We'll be there as soon as possible. Stay safe."

* * *

"I hope this thing stays together," commented Ganodi to herself as R2 landed the ship at the coordinates given to her by Ahsoka. Their ship had suffered quite a beating at the hands of Hondo's pirates; the worst damage being the fact that it was currently missing a massive section of its outer hull. As it stood, the ship was barely flight capable and roughly a third of the ship was uninhabitable – having to be sealed off by bulkheads in order to keep the atmosphere from venting. It was a small miracle that the ship had even survived re-entry.

At the jolt of the rough landing, several patched pipes running through the hull ruptured again. Emergency warnings popped back up on the screens and R2 whistled before taking off in a rush to patch the lines once more. Without the coolants supplied by those pipes the engine would overheat during take-off and they would not be able to make it off planet.

Alone in the cockpit, Ganodi released a breath she didn't realize that she had been holding. They had landed and R2 was doing his best – but there was nothing for her to do except wait. She hated waiting.

Minutes passed by with an agonizing slowness as Ganodi tried to keep her mind from worrying. Idle thoughts would not help them here. Every once in a while the cockpit would beep a little alert, warning her about one of the plethora of damaged areas on the ship.

Surprisingly, the one system that hadn't been damaged heavily was the actual engines. None of the thrusters had been damage during their escape and the fuel lines were all in perfect order. Outside of the coolant lines that flowed through the missing section of hull, there wasn't that much damage to them. As such, R2 had left fairly clear instructions to leave the engines on so that they could escape in a hurry. That being said, the reactor was running a little hot because R2 was currently trying to bypass several ruptured pipes.

"Come on, come on." muttered Ganodi as she tapped her fingers on the control panel, "I've got a bad feeling about… uh-oh…"

She froze as her eyes tracked something moving into view over the ridge, her eyes widening in horror at the sight, "Force, it's the pirates. I need to tell Ahsoka and the others."

Her hands leapt to the controls as she watched them begin to camouflage some form of tank, but when she opened up the com link she had to recoil from the sheer volume of the static being pumped through the speakers.

They were being jammed.

Ganodi rapidly punched the console buttons as she watched the pirates move into position. Frantically, she tried the comms again but was unable to cut through the jamming techniques, all she could get was static. Even the in-ship communications equipment was being jammed, rendering her unable to call up R2 from his maintenance tasks.

"Force, why didn't anyone put guns on this thing." She muttered to herself as she ran off to find R2 and Professor Huyang; maybe they would know what to do.

On the outside of the ship, Hondo knowingly smirked and waved at the bridge before moving into cover for his ambush.

* * *

Less than ten minutes later, Ganodi watched in muted terror as Ahsoka's commandeered speeder pulled to a halt outside. No sooner had the speeder come to a complete stop and the group began to exit the vehicle when a torrent of blaster fire poured towards them from beyond the nearby tree line.

"Get to the ship! Use the speeder as cover!" ordered Ahsoka hurriedly as her twin lightsabers ignited and spun to life. Dozens of bolts ricocheted off her blades as she jumped to the roof of the speeder in an effort to draw fire away from the rest of the group.

The hatch of the ship lowered to reveal Ganodi frantically working at the hatch controls. "I'm sorry! They jammed us! We couldn't warn you" she screamed as blaster bolts arced around her.

R2 was remotely manning the helm of the ship from a console next to the hatch, already preparing the ship for a quick take off. If she could just get them inside then they should be able to escape before the tank could get through their ship's shields and armour. Even in its damaged state, the Jedi vessel should be able to absorb at least a few major hits on the way out of the atmosphere.

"No time for apologies." reassured the Professor as neutrally as possible, "Hurry up now, younglings, it appears we have overstayed our welcome."

From his spot at the head of his tank, Hondo growled angrily. He was tired, still slightly drunk, and beginning the unfortunate phase of being hung over. The blaster fire rang in his ears, his head throbbed, and his sense of balance was slightly off. What irritated him the most, however, was the fact that his men were firing a veritable wall of stun rounds from their repeater blasters and still failing to put down the errant Jedi.

With a scowl, Hondo watched the traitorous servant scramble into the speeder and begin to drift it closer to the ship. No doubt Ahsoka had used some jedi mind trick on her – or perhaps the servant was just tired of her life and believed that the Jedi would give her freedom. Either way, his prize was starting to escape.

Even though the younglings were beginning to escape into the ship's hatch, he could at least stop Ahsoka.

"Aim at the speeder!" he ordered as he hammered his fist on the tank's hull and pointed to the speeder. From his spot inside the tank, the gunner muttered an affirmative before bringing the turret to bear against his firing target. The cannon briefly charged energy for a split second as the gunner finalized the aiming protocol to hit the speeder dead-on.

Ahsoka's eyes drew wide as the force warned her and she desperately yelled a warning to the younglings. "Get down!" she screamed as she leaped away from the speeder.

Less than a quarter-second later, the tank's gift of death tore through the speeder as though it's armored panels were papier-mâché.

Flames licked Ahsoka's skin as she dove behind a landing gear in a desperate attempt to escape the blast. Shrapnel tore into her cover and bit into the ground around her as she twisted her dive into a rolling stop. Then she convulsed mid-landing and ended up flat on her back.

Her mind reeled as the the link between the Weequay female and herself snapped with the woman's sudden death. She had been inside of the speeder when the tank's energy shell hit it and died almost instantly in the ensuing explosion.

Almost instantly.

Fire and pain licking at Ahsoka's mind as she relived the last second of the woman's death. Confusion, excruciating pain, terror, agony, death.

The dizzying and sickening sensation settled deeply inside of Ahsoka and she felt like she would need to shower for a year to feel clean again. It was overwhelming and devastating.

Desperate to cleanse the memories and sensation from her mind, she rubbed her forehead and rolled back onto her feet. She reminded herself that there was nothing that she could do for the woman, and that the lives of the group were still at risk. Ahsoka clenched her teeth together as she tried to hammer the feeling down and maintain her focus on the matters at hand; regret and guilt could wait until later – once the group was safe.

She caught desperate waving from the corner of her eyes as Ganodi used the lowered ramp as cover to get everyone on board. A quick head count found the younglings gathered around her, watching and waiting for her commands. By some miracle, the younglings had escaped the worst of the blast.

She centered herself and prepared to run to the ship's ramp when several bolts of red death screamed from the sky into their battlefield. Ahsoka watched in surprise as one of Hondo's men was incinerated beneath the heat of a blast. Flesh melted away instantly as he disappeared beneath the blinding beam of red. Around him, the rest of Hondo's group faced similar attacks. In an instant, several of Hondo's vehicles were torn apart, their crews scattered and slain in the blaster fire. Even Hondo's tank rocked under the sudden assault, though it somehow managed to weather the hail of blaster fire.

The battle went silent for a split second before two vulture droid starfighters passed overhead, followed by a thunderous sonic boom as the sound of their engines trailed behind them. The engines roared in the atmosphere as both sides went still in the sudden shock of the droids' arrival. For a moment neither side moved, both seemingly waiting as the droids continued on their path and out of sight over the horizon.

Then the roar of the engines grew louder, and Ahsoka realized that other ships were quickly approaching. Only, these ships were much slower on their approach and their engines were much louder.

Ahsoka felt the warning rapidly build in her guts as she yelled at the younglings, "Get away from the ship!" she screamed, rapidly running to the younglings and desperately trying to herd them away from the vessel. "Run! Get away from the ship!"

As Ahsoka desperately ushered the younglings away from the ship, two Hyena-class droid bombers appeared over the horizon.

They dipped low and began their pass, heavy blaster fire erupting from their cannons. Several bolts slammed into the ship and scorched the hull, starting several electrical fires as the already heavily weakened shields collapsed under the strain.

The group was barely away the ship when with the droid bombers dropped a quartet of bombs from their payload bays. The ship groaned, protesting beneath the impact of three concussive bombs before its shields snapped and fully gave out.

The fourth bomb struck true and the world roared as everything turned white.

* * *

Ahsoka wasn't sure of exactly how long she had been unconscious. It could have been an eternity or a blink of an eye that had passed when her awareness slowly returned to her. Her montrals unpleasantly hummed with the echoes of the explosion and her ears warbled with a high pitched ringing as she blinked away dust and ash.

She staggered to her feet and saw the scorched form of the Professor wrapped around a smaller form. R2 was on his side at the center of a small impact crator, dented but still active by the weak warbles it was making. His panels were scorched and battered by the inferno now filling the sky with thick black smoke.

The Professor unfolded to release the form of the young girl into Ahsoka's hands, a quick touch of the Force told her that the girl was alive and badly injured, but there was nothing directly life threatening. The droid had shielded her as best he could whilst lacking his arms; his back was warped from the sudden heat and the previous damage over the last week had been enhanced by the explosion. One of his sensors was flickering and the other dull and lifeless as he slowly looked at Ahsoka.

"Padawan Tano," he slurred, "I must shut down or risk terminal failure, damage has occurred to my core systems, cascade failure will soon occur. Wrap me in plastic sheeting and bury me nearby, you must ensure the younglings safety. Get them home and come back for me later. I can wait." At this the droid went limp and his sensors turned off.

Ahsoka rocked back on her heels for a moment before nodding to herself; kneeling next to Ganodi, she drew her wand and whispered a few words. Casting the few medical spells Harry had taught her, she dealt with most of the damage to her skin and stopped the girl's internal bleeding. Ganodi's broken leg bones were too much for her to deal with so she made splints and secured the limbs.

Ganodi drifted in and out of consciousness whilst Ahsoka worked her magic abilities, but if she noticed anything, she kept quiet and said nothing while Ahsoka tended to her.

Ahsoka quickly finished up, and noted the rest of the situation. Around her, the other younglings began to pick themselves up and gather around her. A few of the younglings were carrying R2 and Petro was holding one of R2's legs which had unfortunately been knocked off.

With a tired sigh, Ahsoka looked them over and took stock of their injuries and gear. Things definitely did not look good.

The sound of boots crunching against the dirt froze everyone as Hondo and a few of his tattered men walked up to the group. They had their blaster rifles armed and at the ready, coming to a stop at what they hoped would be a safe distance.

"Great…" complained Ahsoka as she palmed her face, "Have I ever told you how irritating you are?"

"And you are like a roach, who doesn't know when to give up." sniped Hondo as he walked in front of his pirates while still maintaining a safe distance. Then he pointed to the sky, "As much as it pains me to say this, I think it best to work together for the moment, we can negotiate once we are safe and away from here when the droids come."

"And why should we do that?" glared Ahsoka balefully as Hondo continued to point into the air. For a moment she just stared at Hondo as he continued to point at something that Ahsoka couldn't see. "For all I know you'll just…"

Ahsoka paused, her words dying in her mouth. Just to humor Hondo she had looked briefly upwards. There she found three CIS large capital ships in orbit with a half dozen droid landing vessels slowly descending towards the earth.

"…Crap…"

"I should have let you on that uninhabited planet like I threatened." laughed Hondo to himself in a defeated sort of chuckle, "Too late for that, though. Apparently the CIS decided not to wait for the auction."

Continuing his thoughts, Hondo turned around motioned to his men, "Gather them and the droids, we leave in five minutes."

Then he turned back to the jedi group, waving dismissively to the burning ruins of the ship. "Scavenge what you can, if you want to. We only have the tank left and it's a long walk back to the town."

Ahsoka frowned, "How did you get here before us?"

"Come now, does a magician show all their tricks?" Hondo chuckled, "Oh, who am I kidding, of course I want you to know. We tracked your vessel as soon as it started flying, it didn't take long to figure out where your group was heading. You all took the long way to avoid those following you while we knew where you were going. It was simple business to air-drop a tank a few kilometers away and drive it over."

His smirk turned into a large self-satisfied grin, "You are not as clever as you think you are, little jedi."

Then his smile faded as he looked towards his base, "The smoke on the horizon tells me that the town is under attack as well. This will be terrible for business and I'm certain that my insurers will refuse to pay up, pack of disloyal blood sucking maggots that they are. "

* * *

As Kenobi's flagship dropped out of hyperspace, the Jedi general took stock of the situation and immediately swore under his breath. The CIS forces that he had hoped to outrace to the planet had beaten his battle group to the planet and were already deploying what appeared to be a small invasion force into the atmosphere. Worse, sensors had already identified one vessel as Grievous's personal flagship. Even worse, Kenobi's fleet had dropped out of light speed almost directly on top of them.

Claxons rang out as Kenobi's fleet prepared for battle. Three CIS capital ships and almost a dozen smaller vessels were already moving to intercept Kenobi's fleet. Dozens, if not hundreds of droid fighters were scrambling into action, preparing to intercept his fleet before they could deploy their own forces. The first salvos of fire came from the CIS capital ships, rocking Kenobi's Venator beneath the blows.

"So much for infiltration, at least we out-gun them." quipped Cody as he looked over the simulated battle area. Clone pilots were scrambling themselves, pouring out of their own Venatorss to provide screens of defence while the many turbolaser cannons of Kenobi's fleet barked out their response at the CIS forces. While technically outmanned by about six ships, Kenobi's Fleet was much more heavily armed and armoured than the separatist forces that stood between them and the planet.

"It's going to be hard to get landing vessels past that blockade, but we need boots on the ground." noted Kenobi as he rubbed his beard in thought. He had little doubt that Grievous was already scouring the city for Ahsoka Tano, hoping to capture her before the auction and bypass the middle-man that was Hondo Ohnaka.

Kenobi's admiral simply looked at Kenobi with disdain, "General Kenobi, we outmatch their firepower by a significant margin. The easiest way to get through that blockade is to drive straight through."

* * *

From his place at the head of the pillaging army, Grievous snarled angrily at the corpse of a hapless merchant that had gotten in his way. The buffoon had thought it wiser to beg for mercy than to simply kneel down and accept his death. A swift death at the hands of his lightsabers was more mercy than the merchant deserved.

No sooner had he deactivated his lightsaber than his communications device beeped alarmingly.

"Sir!" reported a B-1 battle droid with a little more volume than was necessary, "A Republic fleet has entered the system, we have engaged them bu-"

"Stop them at all costs!" snarled Grievous as he continued to stalk though the streets. A pesky interruption from the Republic would not stop him from completing his task.

"But sir-"

"No buts! Destroy them at all costs!"

With an irate snarl, Grievous smashed his communications device off in order to continue his search for the Jedi. With the Republic forces in the system, time was of the essence and he had precious little of it to spare. His mind raced mechanically as he thought of some way to bring Ahsoka out of hiding before clone troopers made their way to the ground to impede his progress.

Then it clicked.

He turned to one of the nearby battle droids that was trailing behind him, barking out orders as he pointed directly to it, "Bring me a long range communications device and start executing the civilians. If this Jedi wants to hide then we will make the people suffer until her conscience cannot bear the price of cowardice."

* * *

Hondo whistled as he watched a Droid control ship shatter and explode, fragments began to fall and hit the atmosphere, burning as shooting stars. Ahsoka's grin was almost feral at the sight.

Ahsoka looked to the pirate, "You know we can just call them for help."

Hondo snorted in amusement, "Of course, why not tell the entire system our co-ordinates, do not be foolish my short friend, the droids will arrive long before any help will and that is if none of the ships fire at us from orbit. No, we need to get off world and then we can contact your friends, much safer."

The hatch opened in the tank and a pirate leant out, "Cap'n, there's something on the comms, you should hear this."

Hondo growled as he pulled the pirate from the tank and climbed in, Ahsoka following him to find out what was happening. She squeezed into the cramped and hot space, the smell of sweaty Weequay something she had no intention of experiencing again if she could. Hondo flicked a switch and General Grievous' voice struck out, full of control and arrogance, a touch of dark humour at his victory colouring his words.

"... burn this world to ash. Attention Hondo Ohnaka and all of the worthless scum on this planet. I have started to execute your city and will not stop until you give me the Jedi known as Ahsoka Tano. Give me the Jedi Ahsoka Tano and I will allow you and your men to leave this world. Your only other option is death. I have destroyed every vessel on this world bar one which sits below my vessel in your spaceport. The only way out is through me. Those who deliver the Jedi Ahsoka Tano to me will be rewarded and be given the ship to leave. If you decide to run, hide from me, and hope for a rescue, I shall hunt you like the rats you are. Fight me and you will die screaming as I burn this world to ash. Attention Hondo Oh..."

Hondo leant back in his chair, "Well, that's annoying. It also repeats, very insulting. Not even a direct call, just a planet wide broadcast."

"Are you going to give me to him?"

"I did plan on selling you to him or another like him, was that ever not clear? But no, not to him, not anymore. He has insulted my honour with his actions. I have little of it as it is, so any insult must be addressed properly. It will be a necessary evil, but it appears I must truly work with you Jedi. So… truce?"

"Agreed, you know this world, I also presume you have a plan?"

"I have many plans, as my mother always said, 'Always have a plan for any situation', it is most unfortunate that most are not even close to viable."

He closed his eyes in thought as he tapped his chin. Ahsoka was amused by his casual dismissal of the dangers and his need to be dramatic.

Hondo made everyone jump in the tank with his sudden exclamation of "Aha!" as he raised a finger as if to emphasis the point. He gave them a large grin before smirking at them with how superior his cunning was to their own. "I have an incredibly cunning plan, so cunning it would never cross Grievous' little broken frothy mind, there will be much gnashing of teeth, if he has any. However, I will require a distraction."

Ahsoka frowned as she guessed where this was going to go. "What sort of distraction?"

His smirk returned to an even larger shit-eating grin as he looked her up and down, "The bait kind."

"Why do I get the feeling that this involves me playing the bait?"

Hondo shrugged, "Great minds think alike, even though mine is greater."

* * *

Kenobi gritted his teeth as blaster fire exploded around his gunship. At his admiral's recommendation, the Venators had cut a swath of destruction in the separatist armada just wide enough for gunships to make a break for the planet. It was still a risky affair, as the countless droid starfighters were swarming around them in an attempt to stop any clone boots from landing on the planet.

To his right, a gunship exploded into a ball of fire as a tri-fighter raked it with a strafing hail of blaster fire. Kenobi's own gunship rocked in the explosive shockwave, taking a few glancing shots from the same tri-fighter that had destroyed the ship next to him.

"Odd-Ball get those fighters off of us!" ordered Kenobi adamantly as he watched a pair of ARC-170 starfighters twist and chase a pair of vulture droids in front of him. "They're all over us!"

"Understood general Kenobi," reported the clone pilot automatically as his fighter squadron did its best to keep protect the landing craft from destruction. Unfortunately there were just too many targets for the clone pilots to protect.

Around him, dozens of similar gunships carrying hundreds of clones and equipment were also making a run for the planet. He would have preferred to be piloting his jedi starfighter, but given the situation he would have been an obvious target for the CIS forces to focus on. As such, he was currently feeling rather helpless as a passenger; relying on the skills of the clone trooper piloting the gunship to fly through the blockade and onto the planet below.

On his left, a gunship carrying an AT-TE erupted into flames as a vulture droid slammed into it. The explosion wrenched the armored vehicle free of the gunship and sent it hurdling to certain doom as gravity and momentum pulled the ship into the upper atmosphere of the planet. Everyone on board the doomed AT-TE was dead, or would be once the vehicle reached the ground with asteroid like momentum.

In the chaos, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and did his best to remain calm. There was nothing to be done for the clones that were dying in the battle. All he could do was remember the fact that they were doing their job so that he could do his.

The warning claxons blared momentarily, signalling that a tri-fighter had achieved a missile lock momentarily before it was destroyed by Odd-ball's starfighter.

A few tense moments later, and the ship began to shudder beneath the heat of the upper atmosphere. With that, the pilot pulled upwards and cut his approach to the planet; skirting the edge of the atmosphere while he awaited Kenobi's directions. Around them, countless other gunships continued their descent to the city below. Their destination was the edge of the city where they would soften the separatist forces before Kenobi's gunship landed.

* * *

Ahsoka looked over the ambush site once more, frowning at how open it was. High cliffs encased a currently dry river bed converted to a road, the forest thick around the clearing she would be waiting within. The ground, whilst looking solid and stable was actually a thick layer of a local moss-like plant which grew over bogs and swamps, however in this place, a small lake was covered by the moss. The moss could withstand some weight if carefully applied but the droids would have problems, as would Grievous if he attacked. The sides of the clearing were blocked by thick woodland which would act as cover for Hondo's tank which had been hidden on the edge of it, partially submerged and covered in the moss to appear like a small hill. The turret was hidden under the surface and was waiting for the start of the fight.

Zatt and Petro would remain with her for this ambush, but their presence was mostly for show. At the start of the fight they were to escape into the woods and get out of the line of fire. Behind her was the edge of an open plain with little to no cover in sight. It was flat and open; there would be no escape in that direction.

Accepting of the situation, albeit not terribly satisfied with the terrain, she turned to Hondo as he barked orders for his men to position the tank correctly.

"Will the younglings be safe?"

Hondo placed a hand over his heart, well she thought it was his heart, she wasn't sure where it was in his anatomy. "I swear on the life of my mother, I shall bring no harm to a hair on their heads. Well those with hair anyway," he pointed at the wookie youngling, "this one will make up for the others."

Ahsoka snorted, "So, everything is in place and you'll pick us up at the rendezvous?"

"Of course I will, have no fear; you will be rescued by the dashing pirate captain Hondo Ohnaka. We will even wait a time for your arrival should you be late. But not too late." He waved at her in a shooing gesture, "Now go sit in the middle of the clearing, keep away from the cliff face and be... enticing... somehow." He grimaced as he looked her over, "I'm sure you'll manage something. Oh! And remember to pay no attention to the tank."

* * *

Kenobi took a deep breath as the forest around them helped calm him; the shakes had finally stopped as the adrenaline faded enough for him to concentrate properly on the mission. His stomach was still orbiting the world and if he had been religious, he would have thanked any gods listening for his safe landing.

He rubbed his eyes as the long conflict finally began to bite into his mental defenses.

Force he was so tired of all this violence. Cody had quipped that it was another day in paradise, but the truth was that it was just another day in hell. Already reports had come in from the vanguard that Grievous's droids were beginning a wholesale execution of the city's population. But, as much as Kenobi's heart went out to the general population, there was little he could do as his men were spread thin in an attempt to retake the city.

When this was over, he would request a posting to a guard duty. It would let his men get some well-deserved R and R, giving him a break as well. With a tired breath, he shook his head and cleared his thoughts. He couldn't afford to be distracted right now; not while the city was burning and Grievous was hunting down Ahsoka.

One of the scout troopers tapped the General on the shoulder to draw his attention, having gained it, he pointed to the nearby comms officer in their makeshift battle command post. Nodding his attention, Obi-wan strolled over to the waiting officer.

"Sir, you should hear this, it's being broadcast across the region.

Kenobi took the ear piece and nodded to the comms officer to patch him in.

Ahsoka's voice brought immediate relief, she was still alive and running around. Her words, however, brought a feeling of cold along his spine.

"... Tano. I have a counter offer. Face me in a duel, the winner keeps this world, the loser is the others prisoner. My co-ordinates are 50.7512 degrees North, 3.2794 degrees West. Transmit your agreement to these terms before arrival or I will respond appropriately. That is if you aren't too much of a coward to face me in a fair fight. I repeat, General Grievous. This is Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano. I have a count..."

Kenobi frowned as he passed the earpiece back. "We had best hurry before it's too late. Sergeant, ready the men, we leave immediately."

* * *

Gungi growled a query at the pirates as they watched the large force led by Grievous pass them below as they followed the road to Ahsoka.

Hondo's eyes swept over the column, not missing a thing, looking for anything of use to them. "No, we won't go back and help Tano, she can handle this many enemies and we have a job to do, never let it be said that Hondo Ohnaka backed out of a deal."

Katooni blinked, "Wait a minute, I just thought of something, is your mother even alive?"

Hondo snorted in amusement as his men chuckled quietly around them. "Of course not, how do you think I became Captain of this gang? Silly girl, the world is nasty, horrible and full of monsters. You have to be cruel and powerful to not be eaten by the other monsters."

At her worried look, he smiled and patted her on the head. "Don't worry little Jedi, you'll be fine. The Jedi are some of the biggest monsters out there."

Katooni frowned at that, "Why do you call us monsters?"

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You do not see it. When you get home, look at the recordings, see what the people see, listen to the fear in their whispers. If the Jedi can do that to their enemies, what could they do to us?"

He grinned at her with too many teeth. "Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano will be fine. She normally has a Jedi Master with her, clone troopers, fleet support, weapons and armour, you know, the usual, but I'm sure she'll be fine. If I was a religious man, I'd believe the gods had a plan for her, it's lucky I'm not, isn't it. We had best move, it won't be too long before we need to make our move."

The younglings looked amongst themselves as they pondered his confusing words and ideas, but worry settled within them at his view of Jedi. Did others truly think like that?

* * *

Ahsoka knelt at rest and meditated at the centre of the clearing, allowing her mind to clear and the Force to flow through her. With a deep breath, she relaxed and felt the wind move across the moss, the gentle drift of water beneath, flashes of life from fish and crustaceans. The rapid heartbeats of small avians rang in her ears as they flowed amongst the air above her, the light of the sun warming their feathers and giving energy to the plants around her. Zatt's and Petro's presences shone in the cold metal of the tank, their hearts beating quickly in fear as they sat and waited for their moment to act.

Even with the knowledge of the battle in the city, she was able to calm herself and find her center.

It had been a long time since she could just relax and let herself go like this. It was something she had always found difficult, as if something within fought her. She had always thought it was her impulsive nature, her innability to calm her thoughts. Now, she knew better.

Harry's lessons in her mind had opened her eyes.

She slowed her heart as she reached out for the pulse of the world. At the brink of unconsciousness, she felt a stagnant beat, pulsing along the faint lines of the world. It was dull and sluggish, but still there. It was a strange melody filling the world around her, spilling out into the galaxy before joining a faint chorus of other worlds, all part of the universe, the one song. A discordant tone of red hate entered the song around her; the drum beat of cold duty echoing in its wake.

Was this what the Jedi masters felt when they meditated?

Slowly, she pulled herself back into her flesh and opened her eyes to look upon the column moving down the road towards her.

General Grievous flew at the head of the formation on a modified speeder.

A raised claw held the droids in position at the edge of the clearing as he carried on to meet her at the centre of the open space, out amongst the open ground rather than upon the road. He stopped when he was only a few metres away from his prey, pulling the vehicle to a halt before stepping down upon the thick moss. His eyes narrowed and looked around to survey the environment around him, his body recognizing that something was wrong but unsure as to what exactly that meant.

Ahsoka, seeing this, stood up and drew Grievous's attention to her. It would not do to betray their trap by delaying the inevitable.

She nodded respectfully to him, "General, I'm glad we can resolve this swiftly."

He glared at her with his full focus before growling out his response, "Surrender now and you will be delivered intact and without harm, fight me and I will deliver what remains of your desecrated corpse to Count Dooku."

She smiled at him as she carefully drew her lightsabers, "I am afraid that I cannot simply surrender to you."

"I hoped you would say that." He said, chuckled at her response, "Such a pity, Dooku will just have to play with what remains of you."

With that, Grievous's arms detached into his deadly four appendages. Four of his lightsabers ignited and spun into a whirl of death, spinning in deadly arcs that cut through the air as he charged at Ahsoka.

Blades met blades as Ahsoka blocked his charge. Their blades connected a dozen times in the span of seconds before Ahsoka reached out with the force to push him away from her. In response Grievous dug his heels into the earth and braced himself, still spinning his blades as Ahsoka used the opportunity to jump away from the dangerous cyborg.

As much as he wanted to prolong the duel, Grievous knew that the clone army was carving a swath through the city while their navy was being decimated by the Republic's star destroyers in orbit. Time was not on their side.

"Attack!" he barked as he took a moment to still his spinning blades and ready himself for yet another charging attack.

The droids began to walk forward with their blasters deliberately firing to her left and right, nothing close enough to threaten her directly should she remain still but enough she could not dodge to the sides without taking a hit. Her eyes widened as she realised his plan, cutting down the battlefield to a thin column of choice. Face and fight Grievous at one end, dodge to the sides and get cut down by blaster fire, or turn her back to him and hope that she could outrun him.

Surging forward, her lightsabers clashed with Grievous', his laughter grating on her nerves. The tempo of the battle quickly sped up, every attack countered with a riposte, every riposte countered and forced away or dodged on her part. After a few minutes of probing attacks trying to find a weakness or gap in his defences, all she had was a slight judder in his right arm when performing a downward strike, his tempo and stamina were relentless and, unlike her, he was not tiring.

Grinding her teeth, she began a pattern of attacks that she knew he would open up his weakness for her to exploit. Just as his arm juddered, she snapped out a thrust into the joint, but blinked in surprise as he simply bent the arm out of the way and used her over extension to ram the claws of his foot into her side. Anchoring pistons rammed into soft flesh and retracted, tearing the wound open before Grievous slammed his foot into her once more and sent her reeling.

Ahsoka staggered back with a gasp at the unexpected strike, her offhand lightsaber falling to the thick mossy floor with a hiss of steam as her hand grasped at the ragged wound, trying to staunch the blood pouring from her flank.

"Stupid girl, did you think I was unaware of my body? Did you think I didn't see you spot it?" He swiped his lightabers into her weakening defense, the blade spinning from her grasp as she fell backwards, her training fighting her bodies attempt to go into shock.

"You lose Jedi. You always lose in the end. I will take your lightsabers for my collection"

As she fell, the droids ceased to fire and began advancing on the pair, the rhythmic footfalls causing ripples in the moss. Grievous stopped gloating as he felt the ground shift beneath his claws, the faint splosh of water now loud enough for him to hear. His eyes widened as he span to face his army, his arms raised to demand their attention, "Stop! Damn you fools! Stop!"

Zatt and Petro broke out of their shock at seeing Ahsoka so easily defeated and took this as their sign to act. The tank's cannon rose, the moss falling from its curved form and water pouring from the end of the barrel. Grievous blinked in surprise at the hillock he had ignored became artillery and barely dodged to the ground as the first blast was fired. The droids wavered in their actions as the blast passed them and struck the cliff walls, shrugging off the bad aim as bad luck for their enemies. They turned and began to fire upon the new target but their shots barely even marked the hull, only scorching away the moss camouflage and paint to leave the metal beneath.

Ahsoka grabbed a handful of the moss and rammed it into her wound, hoping that it would fill the wound and slow if not stop the bleeding as a second blast was fired.

Grievous watched it arc over his troops and hit the cliff once more, this time a few metres to the right of the last impact. Frowning, he pondered what the gunners were doing, why were they not firing into his droids? His confusion was answered when he looked down to find water coming up through gaps in what he had originally thought to be moss covered ground. Realisation filled him as the third blast struck against the cliff wall.

"No!" He bellowed as he leapt to his feet and began to charge the tank before it could finish its work.

Ahsoka blinked from her position, lying on the ground as she watched the General re-ignite his Lightsabers as he ran towards the younglings in the tank. Cold terror rushed through her body at the danger they were in. Summoning the dregs of her power, she reached out with the Force and tried to grab at Grievous and stop him, moaning at the pain of the effort.

He snarled as he slowed, but hunched down and began to force his way forward with barely a glance back towards her. The droids shots petered out as they were unsure as to what was happening, they had received no orders to act upon and they did not dare risk hitting the General.

Grievous was too close, getting closer to the younglings with every step. She had to do more.

Reaching within herself, she called upon all her power and reached out for him, a grasping motion with her hands. Blood leaked from around the moss and fell into the water, blood saturated with her life's essence. Her desperation fuelled her as her fear rose that she would not be able to protect the younglings.

"Please," she whispered, a half formed prayer on her lips as she poured everything she had into her attempt to stop the bloodthirsty butcher from reaching her charges.

The fourth shot shattered the stone of the cliff and, with a roaring crash, a great sheet of rock fell upon the moss.

As the rock impacted with the thin layer of moss and the water beneath, a great swell rose and fell, the wave rippling across the clearing. The mossy ground tore and ruptured, droids stumbling and falling within the gaps and tears, within seconds, more than half the droids were gone, the rest scrambling to reach more secure ground.

Grievous stumbled as the much weakened wave passed beneath him. He avoided the opening gaps in the unsteady ground, and each step got him closer to his target. He would murder the crew one by one before the Jedi's eyes and then he would kill her as well.

Ahsoka fell into a newly opened pool of water as the wave carried her away from the battlefield. The cold water ripped the air from her lungs in a gasp as awareness flooded her body, the sudden shock of cold burning away the sluggishness from the blood loss. Desperate and now fully aware for just a moment, she reached out once more into the now red waters surrounding her. With a gurgled scream, she begged with her will, magic, and connection to the Force. Her mind and body were unified for a single moment, all screaming out to stop Grievous.

And the world answered.

The moss around Grievous leapt up in the shape of tendrils. Roots rose from the earth, grasping at him and lashing at him as though they were whips. With his advance halted by the sudden onslaught of earth, Grievous spun his lightsabers in all directions and dismembered the strange limbs as they moved in unnatural ways.

But for every tendril of plant life he sliced away, two more tendrils breached the surface to swarm him. With his mind confused by this unique turn of events, he was forced to use all four of his lightsabers purely in defense, slicing and burning away at the plant life that had suddenly turned against him.

Suddenly he was jerked downward into the earth. A root had penetrated the ground directly beneath his feet and wrapped around his limb before pulling his right leg into the soft and unsteady soil.

A rapid spinning slash burnt sliced through the offending root but the distraction cost him as a tendril surged through his off-balanced guard and lashed to his left arm. The root constricted immediately as it bound itself to the servos that enabled his arms to spin like they did, bringing his whirling defence to a halt.

Rage filled him as he roared, slashing wildly around as he raised his leg away from the ground to claw away the moss holding his limb in place. Adrenaline and anger made him faster and stronger, but also stripped his mind of the skill it needed to properly defend himself from the sudden onslaught. Without his four blades spinning in union his whirling defence halted and he was unable to stop the snaking plants that had been summoned against him. Another root breached the surface beneath his feet and grappled with his feet, rooting him to the spot as a veritable wall of roots crashed into him.

And just as the last of his limbs was bound in plant life, the earth beneath him erupted in a massive ground breaker of earthy tendrils. They crashed upwards and lifted him into the sky as roots slammed into him from above, all of which snaking around him and applying pressure against his body that his machine frame simply could not overpower.

He screamed in agony as thin tendrils explored beneath his armour plating, creeping pressure forcing open gaps and expanding. Panels and delicate components warped and twisted under the strain as the moss reached deep within him to bind him in place. As his back arched with the sudden agonies of misfiring nerves and circuitry, a tendril grabbed him around the neck and pulled mightily, ripping loose bolts and fasteners that held his head to his body.

He struggled in vain as the roots blinded him beneath their overbearing and grinding assault. Burning pain filled him as the moss moved into the eye socket and began to crush his left eye; pressure mounting until, with a sickening pop, he lost half his vision.

Unable to restrain himself, Grievous screamed.

With a shudder within the green mass, his body shuddered as his head snapped away by a few inches. The tendril grappling at his neck had partially separated his head from his body, disconnecting sections of robotic spine in an agonizing fashion.

His mind went blank beneath the pain and all resistance stopped. Unable to move, Grievous's barely alive body was twisted once more by the threshing roots before they unceremoniously released him. His body dropped onto the ground lifelessly before a wave of plant life plowed him under.

* * *

Hondo looked from the maintenance hatch at the landing bay. By some small miracle, the fighting in the city had not yet reached the bay. For a while, he had been tempted to run to the clone troopers that were fighting through the city but he ultimately dismissed the idea as foolish.

He was pirate scum who was trying to auction off one of their prized Jedi; they most likely would not hesitate before shooting him and his men.

There sat the one ship he had hoped had been destroyed, an old rust bucket of a YT-1300, it had been sitting in this bay when he had acquired the town in a game of Sabacc. Apparently his predecessor had won it in a Sabacc game in much the same fashion as he lost the port. Having no need of a cargo freighter, it had been left to rot, he had intended to trade it for parts to upgrade his flagship, but that was a ruined dream now.

It was obvious as to why General Grievous had left this one intact, but he would have to make do with this now.

A large number of armour panels were missing, the turrets looked more like scrap than weapons, one of the missile tubes looked like it had blown up internally and the sensor dish was barely held on with wishes and chewing gum from this angle.

Not the best escape vehicle he had ever used, but certainly not the worst.

He looked over the bay and began to make his plan.

Droids stood at guard at the entrance to the bay and at the ramp into the ship maintenance droids were doing preflight checks, the fuel lines were still attached but at that point of the routine, she'd have already been fuelled and would be ready to go. Maybe five minutes for the engines to warm up enough.

He waved the Jedi younglings up beside him. He pointed to the raised platform the ship rested upon.

"You see there, that set of pipes running under the platform, follow those and wait for the signal, then open the hatch and run for the ramp, my men will do the rest outside. Use your lightsabers on any droid within. You, furry one, start the engines as fast as you can. You, the two mouthed one, you are to check the turrets, I need to know if either are working or not. You, girl, guard the entrance. Once the bay is clear, we'll load our wounded and disengage the clamps and lines. Then we'll leave, collect the others and get away from here. Any questions? No, excellent. Get moving little ones, you have two minutes."

The pirates waited until the younglings were far enough away that the background noise would mask their words before one moved up next to their boss, "Sir? Why aren't we just leaving and taking their crystals?"

Hondo chuckled, "Because we will have a bunch of Jedi who owe us. Can you think of better protection than that from the good General and Xora?"

"But to bind ourselves to the Republic, the other Captains aren't going to like this."

Hondo smirked, "Not my problem and when the dust settles and this gang is the most powerful one still standing, then we can rise to our proper place in the galaxy. I think the good Generals head above my door and Xora in chains would be excellent, do you not think?"

The pirate winced at that image, "Sir, with all due respect, Xora is bloody scary, General Grievous' head is one thing, but taking on Xora means taking on Jade. And we've all heard the stories, and if you believe some of the rumours, it would be rather personal for him."

One of the other pirates piped up, "I heard he stared down a hungry rancor once and it backed off rather than fight him."

Another joined in, "I heard he duelled and beat Mace Windu himself."

Another muttered "Bantha shit, thats not true."

The second responded, "Oh, so staring down a Rancor is okay, but Mace Windu is crazy? Fuck you."

Hondo hissed at them, "Silence. Enough. Get to work before I show you exactly what I will do to you." He watched as they moved to positions and waited for his signal.

By the gods he was surrounded by imbeciles, at least the younglings were following orders. Perhaps he should acquire some of them to crew his ships.

His hand slashed down and the firing began.

Actually that wasn't too bad an idea, he had heard that the Jedi's rejects travel world to world aiding others behind the scenes, he might have to look at acquiring some of these rejects. That just might be the edge he could use.

* * *

The B1 at the sensors scratched its head and waved over the Tactical droid. "Sir. The ship the General ordered to leave alone is taking off. What should we do?"

The tactical droid didn't even look up from the datapad in its hands, "The General ordered it to be left alone, but we have heard no confirmation from him regarding its use. Shoot it down immediately."

The B1 at tactical saluted, "Yes sir!" Quickly and gleefully it brought the turrets to bear and input the firing solutions and authorised the use of the turrets in atmosphere.

If the droids could blink in shock, they would have as the old freighter rolled and dodged their blaster fire.

The tactical droid shook its head before barking orders to the bridge crew. "Fire again! Shoot it down! Do not let it escape!"

The B1's at navigation and piloting shrugged and fired up the engines, turning the ship on the point to follow, completely forgetting about the air control tower in their way.

With a screeching judder, the ship stopped moving as it impacted with the reinforced tower, it crumpled under the strain, but its structure dug into the hull of the Cruiser.

The tactical droid turned and yelled at them, "Stop! Everyone stop! What are you doing?"

"But you said not to let them escape."

"I did not mean like that and why aren't the turrets firing?"

"You said that everyone should stop. So I did."

The tactical droid stormed over to the B1's at the lift entrance and yanked the rifle from one of the guards hands. Turning, it fired and destroyed the droids which offended its processing. Pointing to the guards, "You take those positions, get us loose and shoot them down."

One of the B1's moved across to the sensor post and pushed his predecessor off the chair, looking at the screens it could see no sign of the freighter. "Sir, they're gone. I can't see them on sensors now. There's too much fighting around this position"

The tactical droid turned its entire focus on the B1 at sensors, "Then you had best find them again. Quickly."

* * *

From his spot in the tank, Petro watched in horror as the plants came alive to attack Grievous. Zatt had opened the hatch and was driving between sections of the moss to reach Ahsoka who was floating in blood filled water. Faint bubbles leaked from her nose as she floated face down.

The drive had only taken a scarce minute, as the force of savagery that had pummelled Grievous was content to ignore them entirely. As soon as they arrived, Zatt leapt from the tank to administer aid to Ahsoka.

Diving into the shallow waters, he quickly forced a breather into her mouth and pulled her through the water to reach the surface. Petro by this point had regained his courage and forced down his horror whilst joining Zatt to pull the larger Ahsoka from the cold water.

Ignoring the electronic screams of terror from the droids and using the tank as cover, Petro passed a medkit across to Zatt who looked at his datapad and got to work. Petro held the moss in place as Zatt cleared her airways. A syringe of bacta fluid was injected into the wound, the pain of which woke Ahsoka who screamed at the sudden pain.

Pain surging through her body, She groggily looked around and felt herself drifting back into the dark. With her cloudy mind thinking as best it could, she reached out and grabbed at the med kit, throwing the drugs around as she searched for the coloured syringe she wanted. With rapidly failing eyes, she pulled loose a green needle and stabbed it straight into her chest.

As the adrenaline surged into her body, she couldn't help but gasp and shake beneath at the rush of drug induced energy. Grunting, she opened a pocket on her thigh to draw a wooden stick out. With a wave and a word, the younglings blinked as the blood disappeared. Ahsoka chanted strange words while passing her wand over her body and the pair of younglings watched in awe as the blood slowed to a stop and the flesh began to knit together.

After a minute of this, she pocketed her wand and reached into the medkit once more. With a grunt of pain she jabbed the still damaged area at her side with a syringe of painkillers and shivered at the rush of cold that crept through her.

"No time to gawk," she muttered to the younglings, "we need to go."

Blinking away the fuzzy feeling, she staggered to her feet, wobbling at how weak, hollow, and empty she felt. She wearily motioned the younglings next to her of her to begin their trek to make the rendezvous with Ohnaka.

She began to walk, only to stumble a few times before realizing that she had just used magic in front of the younglings. With her mind exhausted, she blankly turned to the Zatt and Petro, "Say nothing of this, do you understand? Promise me, you'll keep my secret."

At their nods she grunted in acceptance, took three steps forward, and promptly face planted onto the wet soil with a groan, swiftly passing out.

Zatt and Petro looked at each other in worry and confusion before they each grabbed an arm and began to drag her into cover amongst the trees, trying not to open her wound again. It felt like an age before they were deep enough in to not be seen by the droids.

Petro looked around and nodded, "Give me your shirt, I'll make a travois and we can get her to the meeting. You see if you can summon her lightsabers from the swamp."

Zatt frowned, "Be quick, I'll give it a try and if I fail, we're going without them. Grievous may be out of commission but there are still battle droids out there and they're all probably very angry with us. We need to be gone."

"I know," Petro snarled before sighing and giving his friend an apologetic look, "I know, just… go and try, I'll be quick."

Zatt sighed, "Yeah. We can always let her use ours if needed. I'll be back in a few minutes." He swiftly removed his shirt and ran off towards the clearing.

Within moments, he was back at the tank and glanced around it to see a group of droids carefully tearing at the moss to release Grievous. Meanwhile, over a hundred more droids were pulling the others up from amongst the mossy islands. Every minute, more were walking out of the water at the edge of the swamp, covered in mud and grime, but still active.

From what he could see, the attempt to destroy the army had failed, it had delayed them, but there were few actually broken or destroyed droids. Maybe if they had fired at the ranks rather than the cliff?

No, no use doubting or second guessing, "work with what you have." he whispered to himself as he cleared his mind as he had been taught and reached out with the Force, seeking out the shining beacons which should be Ahsoka's lightsaber crystals. Frowning, he tried harder to find them when an armoured hand covered his mouth and pulled him back against a large body.

"Shh" was hissed in his ear as a clone trooper held him under the back of the tank as a droid clambered over and dropped to the ground just where Zatt had been standing a few moments ago.

The droid looked around before it raised a hand and opened its comms, "Theres nothing here, must have been a rabbit or something, I'm on my way back."

The moment its arm dropped and it took a step, a faintly quivering shaft of metal appeared in its head, the droids fingers rose to examine the sudden injury as a second shaft appeared in its core processor. With a faint pop and smell of ozone, the droid stopped and fell to its knees. The trooper released Zatt and yanked the two arrows from the droid before leading him back to the woods where he was met by a clone trooper with a bow and quiver of arrows alongside his rifle.

The first clone passed his squad mate the arrows, "You missed, two for a roger? Can't wait to tell the sarge."

"Shut your hole, or I'll tell him who was juggling grenades on the ship."

Zatt blinked in confusion at their banter until he suddenly found himself standing before a living legend, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi himself.

Kenobi knelt beside the youngling so they were a similar height, "Hello youngling, where is Padawan Tano? Where are the others?"

Zatt straightened up at the question. "Padawan Tano was hurt fighting General Grievous, I came back to try and get her lightsabers, but there's too many droids and I think the lightsabers are in the water. She's a few minutes away, Petro was making a travois to help us move her to meet with the others and the pirates."

Kenobi smiled at him and patted Zatt on the shoulder, "Good, you've done well. Take us to her, I'll see about her lightsabers. How many droids are there?"

Zatt blinked, "Umm, I think most of them."

* * *

Kenobi watched from cover as the droids began to form up in their units once more, there were too many of them to deal with at this time, way too many.

So he removed his armour and slipped between two islands of moss into the cold water below. His breather unit gave him a good half an hour to get things done.

Settling on the muddy lake bottom, he swiftly dropped into a meditative mindset and reached out with the Force. Nearby two small stars appeared in his senses, their presence wild and untamed, similar to Ahsoka. He raised his hands and called them to him, within a minute, they both slapped into his palms and he opened his eyes to see them still intact, thankfully Ahsoka had waterproofed them before her mission to Mon Cala. Clipping them to his belt, he began to swim over to the islands that were floating lower in the water due to the droids walking upon them.

Carefully he opened the satchel and began to place the thermal detonators, linking them to a remote detonator. It took him half an hour, but it was a job well done.

He returned to his entry point to witness the remains of General Grievous being lifted from within the mass of plantlife and placed within the shuttle. He had to move quickly before Grievous was out of range.

Swiftly he crept out of the shallows and crawled through the mud as rapidly as he could, growling in frustration, he reached out with the Force and took hold of a deeply rooted tree, he began to pull on it with the Force which in turn pulled him rapidly through the slick mud towards the tree.

As soon as he was near enough to cover he stood and ran for the detonator, the shuttle was lifting away when he flipped the switch.

In a cacophony of explosions, fire and steam, a large section of the lake erupted. The shuttle's shields took the blast even as it was slammed into from below, clipping the cliff top as it tried to get away, roaring towards one of the remaining Separatist Capital ships still active, a trail of black smoke in its wake.

Silence reigned as the smoke and steam began to clear, shadows began to stagger amongst the smoke and the clones began to pick their targets and fire.

Kenobi nodded, pleased with the results of the attack, before his guts started to churn as the Force warned him of danger. Signalling his men, they retreated back to the younglings and Ahsoka. Rapidly they gathered everything up and began to move to the location the Initiates had informed them of.

Barely minutes later, the air screamed as turbolaser fire fell upon the forest they had been in as the separatist capital ship moved overhead, fighters and bombers trying to make it to the bay before it escaped the planet.

Kenobi sighed in relief, they had won a heady victory, Grievous had retreated if he was even still alive and he had left a good chunk of his ground forces behind, his fleet had taken heavy losses in the space battle. The droids were being fought even as they moved to the rendezvous. Soon this world would be free, an excellent victory for the Republic and potentially for the sector. Grievous would need to retreat in order to regroup, resupply and await reinforcement. The republic had also taken a few losses, but not enough to hinder their efforts in the region.

He looked at the sedated Padawan and smiled in relief, A good victory indeed.

* * *

The Clones stood ready with Obi-Wan Kenobi looking strong and tall, the younglings had quickly gathered together and were chattering about their adventures. Ahsoka Tano stood before them all as if shielding them from the Pirates.

Hondo Ohnaka stood before his own men and women, the ship behind them ready and waiting to go. "Whilst I agreed to rescue you, Jedi Tano, in exchange for the distraction, these... fine gentlemen were not part of the deal."

Ahsoka nodded at that, "That is true, but they won't be going with us. We just need to get back to Coruscant."

"And why should that bother me? I have no plans to go anywhere near the Core, what profit would there be in that for me?"

Ahsoka shrugged, "Our deal was a mutual agreement to let bygones be bygones and to get away from here together. You get us all out of here and back home, then I'm sure a bonus can be organised."

Kenobi spoke up at this point, "As a Member of the Jedi Council I can authorise a suitable reward to be paid to you."

Hondo grinned, "Well why didn't you start with that, much less posturing that way. I always enjoy being paid, I presume handsomely?"

At Kenobi's nod, Hondo's grin stretched further, "Excellent. Just Padawan Tano and the younglings?"

Kenobi smiled tiredly as he nodded again, "Just them, safe and sound to Coruscant for a suitable reward upon delivery."

He opened his arms out to the younglings and the Jedi, "My friends, my friends, why are we all waiting here, we must hurry before more awkwardness occurs. Come! Let us leave this backwater for more profitable opportunities."

* * *

Grievous watched from his one good eye as the components in his arm were finally replaced and activated. He shuddered in pleasure at the sensation filling him as he felt the strength in his limbs once more. He glanced at the other droid as it brought over the new armour panels and began to attach them to his torso.

He flexed his hands as his mind roved over what had happened in the battle. Everything had gone to hell from the start. The Republic navy had arrived before he had the chance to secure Ahsoka Tano and that damned padawan had used some strange trick of the force against him.

He had never seen anything like it in his years of hunting jedi. No sith or jedi practitioner had ever utilized the force in such a way as to animate the very trees against him. The use of plants to defend or attack was not a known technique to the jedi. And he had never seen anything quite like that in the halls of sith lore.

It was strange, then, for such a young girl to possess such incredible power. There was also the unnerving fact that the plants moved to follow orders from the Force user as they formed new shapes and forms.

He thought back on other possibilities, grunting in irritation as a droid screwed in his new foot.

The moss had changed its nature; it had come alive during Tano's attempt to stop him with the Force. It had moved like an animal, wrapping and binding around him as though it was a coil of snakes before it forced its way under his armour and damaged him in such a fashion as to make him feel weak, helpless.

He frowned as a thought popped into his mind. Dooku had wanted her intact and alive; she was a known and repeated contact with Jade. Jade was some form of Sith Sorcerer, perhaps... no.

Surely there was another reason. She could not possibly be Jade's apprentice. That made no sense, unless...

It would explain Dooku's attitude in the past, the strange orders and missions. Perhaps it wasn't so crazy after all. Jade had broken free of his Master and was seeking to usurp his position.

If there was even the chance she was like Jade, he would never give her the chance to wield any powers like Jade's upon himself. No, no more playing, Ahsoka Tano must die. No more games. The risk alone was too great, Jade was bad enough, two like him would be too much.

He slowly turned his head to look at the Tactical Droid standing by the door, "Send out a message, ten million credits for Ahsoka Tano, I don't care her state as long as I can confirm it's her and she's dead. Make sure it's anonymous and that there's no link to me over the matter."

At the droids nod he relaxed a bit more, gritting his teeth at the vibrations as the panels were locked into place.

"Anything from Dooku?"

"Nothing as yet General, do you wish me to make a report?"

"No, I shall deal with the relic myself."

* * *

Hondo sat back in the pilots chair in deep thought, the bridge only lit by the control panels and the lights of hyperspace as they travelled away from the Jedi fleet. His guests now departed and a sizable lump of funds in his accounts. He tapped his fingers on the panel beside him as he pondered his options for rebuilding.

This ship was not bad, surprisingly so, but he needed more. He was a pirate, soon to be a pirate king if he had his way, not some smuggler or trader. He could probably sell the ship and call in a few favours to get something better to restart matters with.

A polite tap of knuckles on the doorway drew his attention, "Sir?"

Hondo looked down at the young pirate standing behind him; he lazily waved a hand for the minion to speak as he relaxed watching the lights.

A small box was placed next to him on the arm of the chair. "I got a copy of the droids data library, it's not much all considering, but its everything it knew."

Hondo lifted the suddenly valuable box, "Which droid?"

The pirate coughed, "The humanoid one in completion and I managed to acquire some files from the astromech. It's got some weird and pretty heavy encryption going on there, but my cousins girlfriends nephew is a pretty good slicer, he might be able to squeeze something useful from it."

Hondo's smile grew from curious to amused, "And where is this slicer? Your cousin's girlfriend's nephew."

"Well my cousin mentioned working for a Hutt on Nar Shaddaa, his girlfriend's new so probably there. I can send a message if you want?"

Hondo leant back turning the box which kept becoming more valuable in his hands, "Not yet, after all, we don't want to spoil the surprise. No, good work, very good work. Get some rest, I'll adjust course, you tell the others we're going to Nar Shaddaa."

"Yes sir."

Hondo smiled as he keyed in the adjustments to the nav computer. If Nar Shadaa was still alive, then the nav virus wasn't there, it would have starved by now and turned on itself in its hunger. If the nav virus wasn't there then he had a much greater number of options available to him, the most important being a way to escape when things went wrong.

The data they had been sent for would likely be a good peace offering with the way his luck had been going recently, but perhaps a Hutt would pay more than Xora for such a rare item? Especially one that Xora wanted. Now he just had to remember who owed who what and if he still had allies on Nar Shaddaa. He hummed to himself as he tapped his chin in thought. Beedee Calrissian still owed him for that last job, and for introducing him to his wife, he would be someone to work through.

* * *

Standing alone in his chambers, lit only by the single holo emitter as it displayed pages of information, Darth Maul smiled to himself. Everything was moving nicely into place and it had been pitifully easy to engineer and mastermind it all. With only a few choice words and some well-placed intimidation, Maul had organized a movement that would establish his dominance.

A strong force of Death watch soldiers had rallied to his cause, forming the core of his new army. Many had already repainted their armour to match his markings, horns now beginning to appear on their helmets in his honour. They believed that he would restore their former glory, and they would follow him unless he proved otherwise.

The Hutt's, Black Sun, and the Pyke's were already moving men, ships, and supplies to the locations he desired. Slowly and quietly he was beginning to create a vast web of influence and dominance across the galaxy. Many pirates in the region had already signed up, choosing his leadership over others.

Only a few rogue elements continued to resist but most of them were beneath his attention now. Of the dissenters, only Hondo Ohnaka still had the forces to disrupt matters. Fortunately, Darth Sidious' attack dog Grievous was dealing with that matter. With any luck, the Ohnaka pirate forces would be ground into dust beneath the combined might of the Separatist and Republic forces before the latter two decimated themselves fighting for control of the Padawan that Ohnaka was auctioning.

Maul chuckled to himself as he pondered whether to mention his thanks to his old master for the assistance when Maul finally killed him.

This woman, Xora, also seemed to wish for the pirate Ohnaka to suffer; her name had come up more than once amongst the Captains. Perhaps she would be an ally to acquire as well; she was obviously powerful and connected. He noted on a file to research her more.

Stroking his chin, his other hand swept through files and added the information to the simulations. If there was one thing that Maul would thank the accursed Kenobi for, was that he had taught him the necessity of patience. Mother Talzin's restoration of his mind and form had definitely refined his focus. Last time they had met, he had been too focused on his rage to think clearly, and it had cost him.

Opening the file on Kenobi, he skimmed through the known contacts, there were many, most were of little consequence, then an image of a woman appeared and Maul stilled the flow.

He cocked his head at the rotating image of Duchess Satine Kryze.

Marked as close friends with Kenobi during their youth, the Duchess had never married. Her few agreeable suitors had a more than passing resemblance to Kenobi. Perhaps there was a possibility that they were closer than publicly declared. Either way, she would be an excellent thorn with which to cut Kenobi's heart out.

His amused words broke the silence of his chamber. "Oh, how marvellous. The Force provides for its children in their time of need."

Here was his most powerful weapon.

He could gain more favour with the Mandalorians by upholding the bargain with their Shadow Mandalore. In doing so, he would gain power and spread fear of his very name whilst inflicting untold pain upon his nemesis.

He smirked at the data markers. Soon, Vizsla will rule Mandalore and, through him, the Mandalorians would swear allegiance to Darth Maul.

At least, Vizsla shall rule for a little while, Mandalore as the heart of his own faction was becoming more tempting with every day that passed. The manoeuvring of military assets and crippling galactic travel in both Republic and Separatist territories was inspiring and incredibly helpful for those like himself.

A message from Savage appeared; Maul smiled as he added the Zygerrian Slavers to his plans, a useful resource - cheap labour and a source of funds whilst disposing of troublemakers in his ranks or prisoners.

Returning his focus to his slowly constructed trap, he checked a few records with a nod and smirk. General Grievous was on a collision course with Kenobi's republic forces. Soon they would bloody themselves in combat over the prize of Ohnaka's auction. Should Kenobi win the day, which he most likely would, then his forces would be depleted without any hope of reinforcement thanks to Jade's computer virus.

Kenobi would be off balance as they danced around each other, and that was when Maul would strike at his heart.

An attack on Mandalore would distract Kenobi further and the Duchess becoming a prisoner would tug too deeply on his mind and heart to ignore. His need to be the hero and rescue her would be the sweetest bait possible for Maul to lay at Kenobi's feet.

For now, Maul just had to prepare the field and await his target's next move. He must be patient and subtle; if he became too obvious then everything could fall apart. He would only have one chance at this. It must be perfect

Maul collapsed the files, to open a separate section.

Emperor Evan Jade of the Imperium.

The man was a worthy foe. Very little existed in anyone's records, but what interested Maul the most was Mother Talzin's fear of him - along with what wasn't said. Barely out of his teens, this man had brought Jedi masters to their knees, slain countless enemies personally, led armies and fleets large enough to blot out the stars, and reformed and rebuilt governments. His actions caused ripples that were felt across the galaxy.

Especially within the Force.

And for all this, Maul was grateful.

For every move Jade made, Darth Sidious would focus his attention upon him, leaving Maul free to work his own will on the galaxy.

There was a confrontation coming. One which would change everything, Sidious and Jade would have to face each other. Neither could allow the other to live. And when the bleeding and battered winner stood victorious, Maul would strike and claim his prize.

* * *

 **AN:**

To all the Guests: Thank you and I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Goddragonking; The Shadows Mistress; Lord of Carrion; Starboy454: Ecto-Dmc; Bluesnowman; Davycrockett100; Camath; Malak18; . ; Hawkmoon888; Bearmauls; Viva01; Tf330129; Suna Chunin; Drachna; Alex2909; Penny is Wise; SSSra; William and jack and jake; Mangahero18; Grovepjp; Tpx1; Neodova; Shalifi; Stars90; Lycan01; PappyOldGuy; Serialchick; Ranmaleopard; Crossfire922; Tylermech66; Mwrandom; Doc Scherer; Chezhran; Blackholelord; Camp1500; Rosendahlmikkel: Thank you.

Divine-Faithborn: I wonder why that can be? ;p Over a year's work and plenty more of the story to go.

Renrag: It's been a while and it's a lot to read to catch back up. I'll try and see about a summary on the forums for everyone.

Blackplant: Spoilers :)

94: Harry will return home during the third film of the prequels. The scene is already written, I just have to get there, but we are on the last sections of the clone wars.

SeverlyLate: Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the start. I hope you find other stories you enjoy.

Guest: The design of the Hermione is actually heavily flawed by Harry's lack of understanding. His followers simply followed his orders. The original designs ion cannons are fleet killers with the correct support. Harry removed them and replaced them with more guns because he thought it was a better idea. His only advantage is the heavy armour and shields of his ship allowing his tactic to work by bull rushing his opponents. This is why his tactics are actually really simple and basic. Over time he realised that he was causing more harm than good and acquired competent admirals to do things for him. He tells them what he wants and they make it happen now. As for the goblin friend cliché, that one always felt wrong to me as well. Also, if they lost the rebellions then why are they in control of the economy?

Sildet-ebrithil: I hope you carry on and enjoy the rest of the story, but that is your choice to make. This Harry is a little more well-read than canon Harry and has had approximately 2 years of studying and training with Dooku on the use of the Force alongside exploring his magic.

Velial13: His style focuses more on Makashi, however he wants to use both his magic and the force together in combat. For most of his spells, he requires his wand, thus he is refining his style to use them both. He has studied the basics of all the styles Dooku taught him and has chosen the fragments that work best for him to form his own style.

Dcuo Statellizer: Whilst I didn't think of it using the voice of Hugo Weaving, I must admit that when he makes speeches, you damn well pay attention as it feels as if he means every single word he says. My favourite speech of his, or speeches I should say, are those from V for Vendetta.

Guest: I personally would love to update more frequently, unfortunately I do not have that option at this time. Life is very busy for both myself and my beta reader Divine-Faithborn, as such we work when we can.

Hedstrom 2: Sometimes I don't think English is my first language with what I write ;p Thank you first off. The Balance is in my mind for in canon both to be as strong or weak as the other, they can't exist without the other or to be compared to the other. Nothing is perfect, evil acts are just as easily performed by good men and vice versa. It does have a name, not that people will call it what Harry wants for long, the public already calls it by the name it will be known as, that comes up more in the next chapter. I can't answer the next question as I haven't worked through that yet. Way too many to list, see the AN at the start for some notes on its size. Kashyyyk is part of the republic and has no views of shifting. Tatooine is an example of rampant slavery within the galaxy, its also in Hutt space, it would require the new Empire and the Hutts going to war to give him the excuse to do so, not that his agents need an excuse like that. He hasn't declared war on slavery or the Hutts, not that he'd be upset if something happened to the giant slugs. The republic has a war to win first, never fight a war on multiple fronts, it never ends well. If he can hold onto his power, then they would be impressed, if not, then he's just another failure. Not in the books I'm afraid. The beginnings of that are in this and the next few chapters. Harry already has his eyes on those factions, as does Sidious and the Jedi council, to act openly would escalate matters further. I hope that answers some of your questions.

Hacnet: Check your mail for an answer to your questions :)

Urgh (Guest): I am sorry you feel that way, but you can't please everyone. I am just glad and honoured that so many people enjoy my work.

Marie (Guest): Thank you very much. Essays are usually very important, so I am honoured that you read by story in the one block, however, you really should get back to them :)


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